Photo Journal - Josie Boettcher

Today was a great day. We got to take off of school, since we won't do either co-op this week, leaving me free to take Ruby and Ollie to a play date with Brit and, briefly, Caitlin. Me and Brit really needed that time to just catch up and talk for a while. It's been too long!  After the hangout, I took the girls over to Costco, which was...fine. I spent a lot less than usual! But got home and realized I forgot things. I should have been clued in when I spent a lot less than usual. :) I had my pre-evaluation video meeting with Dr. Boland and I was so anxious about it. She was 10 minutes late and I just wanted to hang up! I'm glad I didn't though. She seems great and I have renewed hope that we might get some ideas on how to handle some of Ruby's tougher meltdowns.  I made a delicious turkey pot pie for dinner and totally forgot that I had a bowl of dough rising in the oven when I pre-heated it. Thank God, no disaster happened! I opened up the oven to stick the pot pi...

It was a pretty average day. School in the morning and I ran some errands in the afternoon. I feel like I've had so much to do lately. Really, since my parents left. It's like I put everything off so that I could focus on visiting with them and working on the bathroom that everything else fell by the wayside. None of it is fun stuff, just pick ups and drop offs and shopping for essentials.  We had dinner at the Popesco's house tonight and it was really good. It's been a long time since our families last hung out and, honestly, since we've hung out individually too! It's been long enough that I felt really guilty about the kids making a mess there. Once upon a time, it didn't bother me much, because we were at each other's houses so much that I knew they'd be paying us back before too long. Hoping we can get back to that place, because Ben and I have missed them a lot. 

Woo! Monday! I'm definitely still in a weekend state of mind. Man, when I get a long weekend, it's tough to come back. I just want to be on vacation forever! But I do feel myself loosening up about the amount of time we spend doing school work. Yes, I want the kids to keep up with their grade levels and I do expect to complete the curriculum by the end of the year. The kids are already begging to start Christmas break though and I am feeling very tempted to let them!  It was a pretty average Monday. We did school, did some running around, and then I made a fancy meatloaf dinner and a humongous amount of snacks for HC. I looped Clemi and Jonas in on making dinner. I think they're both responsible enough and old enough to be helpful with bigger meals. Some things are simple enough that I don't need any help at all, but other things, like meatloaf, could use assistance.  Home church went well. The teaching was a little boring, but it was good to see people. Ben and I chatt...

We had CT this morning and it felt pretty good to be back. It helped that it was a slow morning and there weren't a ton of people there. I got to stop by all the rooms and visit with people a bit. Me, Leslie, and Anne all hung at out/around the booth, so I got to catch up with them a little. Things with Ben are still weird, but what are you gonna do? Marriage is hard.  After CT, we came home, had lunch, and then I actually just relaxed for a long time. I really want to finish this book I've been reading, Tom Lake , and move on to something I'm more excited about. Ben and I reviewed our finances, which aren't looking as bad as we thought they would, after all of the bathroom expenses over the last couple of weeks. I'm actually kind of excited to look at my calendar, which I haven't been keeping up with lately, since I've just been home with my parents.  We decorated the Christmas tree today and I think it looks so pretty! A bit busy, but still beautiful. As a...

Today was a good, family day. We got out Christmas decorations, I continued to clean and organize a bit, and we went to the movies together to see the new Marvel movie. It's funny how when I have more than a day or two of not having much to do, I start to get kind of irritable. By the end of the day, I was super annoyed with everyone and Ben and I got into a very stupid fight this evening that did not get resolved. We just went to bed angry, after Ben stormed off to sleep in the guest room.  It's just that Ben has this way of acting like I'm crazy about really inconsequential things. And maybe I should just say hmm and move on with my life, letting him be a dick, but I just have a really hard time doing it. I always end up defending myself instead of just letting it go and land myself in a messy, ridiculous argument. 15 years we've been having the same kinds of exhausting, annoying arguments. Marriage is bliss.  I finally started taking pictures of the kids to update th...

Dad and Ben finished installing the toilet this morning and then dad and MJ headed out shortly afterward. I am so glad we've gotten work started on the bathroom and even glad to have my expectations get a reality check. This project took MUCH longer than I expected. I think the tear-out took a couple more days than I thought it would and the electrical took astronomically longer than I expected. I thought it would be, like, a day. In reality, I think dad spent maybe four days on electrical? Granted, he told me that electrical is not his strong suit and that it takes him a lot longer than it might take someone else. He double, triple, and quadruple checks each and every move he makes, so that he doesn't make any frustrating and time-consuming mistakes. And it's really a one-man job, so he couldn't even have any of us help him with these things. I am also really glad to have learned some new skills, so that I'll be able to continue on with some aspects of the project ...

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so very much to be thankful for. God, family, friends, a great house, food to eat, warmth on cold days, a reliable car to drive, and on and on and on. But, I have to admit that I just wasn't really feeling Thanksgiving this year. I tried, for Ben and MJ, but I would have been happy to just sit around in my pajamas all day, doing nothing.  We made tons of food to eat, dad watched lots of football, and then we watched a family movie in the evening. It was a really terrific day. Relaxing[-ish, productive-ish, and full of people I love. 

Oh, my gosh. I am SO sore today! I squatted and knelt for the entire time I was working on the floor yesterday and I am paying for it today. AND I have so much more work to do! That I have to squat and kneel for! But it is really cool to see things coming together. We're getting the new spot for the toilet completely ready today, so that dad and Ben can get it installed first thing tomorrow morning. I have lots and lots of projects that I'll be able to continue to work on while dad is gone, which is both good and bad. Now that I've been doing a little bit of real work, I realize that it's very tiring and I don't want to do it alone!  I'm really looking forward to having two weekdays off of school with nowhere to go this week. The whole house needs a good scrubbing/organizing and I am really eager to get to it. I *can* do housework while my parents are here, but it's tough. MJ always feels like she has to get up and help if I'm cleaning downstairs and if ...

I don't have a ton to report. I did FINALLY start being able to help with the bathroom! I was so excited to start laying tile today. I was a little intimidated, but it's looking really cool. MaryJo has made several condescending comments about/to me, but I'm brushing it off alright. She probably doesn't even mean these things to come across that way and I'm just being sensitive. Kind of stressful that they're leaving in three days with so much left to be done in January. 

Today was a tough day, physically and mentally. School went well this morning and then I got to work with dad. I FINALLY got to do significant work. I cut the holes in the ceiling and put in the new lights and I replaced the drywall in most of the places where the drywall was missing...which ends up being so much work! Just getting the drywall sheet laid down, measuring the space on the wall, measuring and tracing the patch, cutting it all with a knife, then carrying it into the bathroom, putting it on the wall, screwing it in, and starting again with the next piece. Most of the pieces were 8' long, but I had a few smaller ones to do too. It was tough! But at least I felt like I was actually of some use. Meanwhile, dad finished up with the electric work and I am so glad that part is over.  Too late, I realized that I hadn't even started the food for Friendsgiving tonight. It was already 4pm by the time I figured out that I needed to start cooking! I got everything made, showere...

Loooooonnnngggg drive home today! We woke up at 5:30am and, although I felt like the whole world was asleep, the hotel was wide awake and we sat down to eat breakfast at 6am, after the car was loaded. We got on the road at 6:30 and were home around 3:45! It was a good drive. Not as good as the way there, but drives home never are. We were a little bored of our podcasts and I felt like Ben would hate everything I turned on, so we listened to a lot of 90's alternative.  It was so nice to see the kids! MJ made a delicious soup for dinner and we just hung out with the fam after we got home. Ben did a little work to prep for tomorrow, but otherwise, it was a relaxing evening.  I am glad we got this weekend away together. I think it's very easy to look at my husband like he's just a member of our family. And he IS a member of our family, but he's also my husband. Something separate and intimate and special. We need times that remind us that we are an "us", separate ...

     Ben woke me up early this morning to see the sunrise. I wasn't happy at first, but man was it worth it! Our hotel room has a wide-open view of Lake Superior, exactly facing east. Perfect for sunrise watching! We headed out pretty early this morning and spent the entire day out. First, we went to Presque Isle for a little while, then we drove to an antique mall and spent a while there (after getting kind of lost and Ben losing his freaking mind about it). We found some cool stuff. We both just love antiquing so much. We just got a quick, cheap lunch at Dairy Queen. We've been spending like crazy! And then we headed to the movies to see the new Hunger Games. It was a weird theater. Like, trying to be new-ish? But the popcorn tasted terrible and the seats weren't very comfortable. But the movie was good. Afterward, we finally headed back to the room and decided to save a little more money by just eating leftovers. I had Thai food from the night before and Ben ate chicke...

Such a fun day! We went down the main street in town and went to tons of little shops and ate lunch and dinner at little restaurants. I love Marquette. It's just adorable and has so many great options. We also went down to the beach this morning, very briefly. It was FREEZING! Honestly, we didn't do much more than that. We went stargazing in the evening and hung out in the hot tub mid-afternoon. We spent many, many hours hanging out in the hotel room. I read a book and finished two others today. I need this relaxing time! I've been so stressed lately. 

We're in the Upper Peninsula! We left this morning right at 7am and stopped for coffees. The drive was SO smooth and actually enjoyable. We listened to podcasts for the entire drive: funny ones and short stories. Good times! When we finally got to Marquette, 10 1/2 hours later, we checked in to our Hilton. It's a pretty nice hotel, but the best part is that it's right on the lake. When we wake up, we'll be looking right out the window at Lake Superior. It's beautiful! We had a drink, got a pizza to eat in the room, and went to sleep. Excited for tomorrow, but definitely missing the kids already. 

The days have been blending! My parents have been here for a week now and we have 10 days left of the visit. It’s gone smoothly for all of us, I think. I know it’s got to be hard for MJ to be out of her element for so long, but she doesn’t seem to be letting it bug her too much. Only a teensy bit of progress was made on the bathroom today. There was a pipe that needed to be moved and it took dad 8 hours to move it. He was so discouraged and I felt sad that a whole day got wasted on that one thing. Here’s hoping the next couple of days move a little more smoothly! The kids have been on a big LEGO kick lately. They've just been kept out constantly! They're everywhere! We found out tonight that Uncle Ed has leukemia. Dad is really upset, which makes a lot of sense. Scary stuff.

We skipped nature group today, since we’re only going to have three school days this week. I feel bad missing so much stuff! Man, I’m sick of missing things all the time. School went fine, but the kids are on my nerves with the constant bickering and back talk. I really do need a break and am so thankful I’m about to get one! At the same time, I’m really, really sad and anxious to be leaving them. How can I have both emotions so strongly? I’m happy for the getaway, but I’m going to miss them so much. I did go out with Ashley this evening, even though I was desperate to cancel. I just don’t like doing stuff! But we had dinner in Hilliard and talked. It was good. She is so convinced I’m part of a cult though, which is getting really old. She “confessed” tonight that she smokes pot. I had to tell her that we’ve known from the beginning! Her house reeks of weed every time we have game night! I think it makes me feel a little more discouraged about the possibility of her and Kwin coming to ...

Another Monday. But I guess this one was different since we have the bathroom project going on. School went pretty well today, for the most part. Ruby had a really bad attitude at one point and it honestly took everything in me to not do something really mean to her. I just wanted to grab her or smack her or something, but I did not! I spoke calmly and gave her the consequence that I warned she'd get. These are wins. Small wins, but still wins.  MJ, Clemi, and I all went to Costco after school to do some shopping. Clem found a couple of presents for siblings there. She is so sweet and generous with them. We give the kids a spending limit for each other and fund their gifts to one another within that limit. Clem spent well beyond her limit for two siblings and said she'd just pay out of her own money because she knew these were the perfect gifts. It was very sweet. We ate lots of yummy samples and splurged on lots of treats that we probably shouldn't have gotten. But it'...

Happy birthday to dad! It was fun having him here over his birthday this year. We had CT this morning and it ended up being a much longer morning than usual because of the chili cook-off. My parents handled the long morning well and dad, of course, chit chatted with a bunch of people. The chili was all eaten, which I was so thankful for. There's always a part of me that worries that people will hate my food. It's a very validating feeling when every bite of it gets eaten! Even if not a single person from our HC thanks us for taking on the burden of buying all of the supplies and prepping all of the food. Like, nobody. Thankfully, I didn't do it for them.  After HC, we came home and started sorting through toys to donate/sell/throw away. We do this every November and this is the first year that Ruby was actually willing to get rid of stuff! She let things go like an absolute champ. I was so proud of her. And I'm excited to have some things cleaned out that the kids don...

Me and dad had a work day today, so after I got Dwell work done, we went to town! Honestly, we didn't get that much done. It was a little frustrating. Seriously, I thought we'd be working more actively than we are! But he'll get one small task done and then he'll say he's done. It's really weird! I've been trying to encourage him to put me to work, give me something to do! But I have to remember that he IS getting older and he is probably getting tired much more quickly than used and I can't be the one to lead the project, obviously, since I don't know how to do anything independently.  Anyway, not much else happened today. I cooked dinner, showered, and blogged. Woo! Big day.  I did take Halloween pictures of Jonas, so, since I didn't take any other pictures today, I'll post one of those as a sneak peek. 

Okay! We're in the full swing of things now. Dad got straight to work and I did schooling with the kids. Ben half worked and half helped out with taking the wall down for the laundry room. By the time I was done doing school with the kids, dad was done for the day. I was feeling a little confused about why he would have stopped working so early. Like, he keeps talking about how stressed he is about not getting things done in time, but then he stopped working at noon and said he wasn't going to work at all over the weekend. Hmmmm.... I guess we'll see how it goes!  I cooked dinner for the fam and then headed to a MNO with my mommy group. It was a pretty good time. The restaurant we went to, Subourban, was pretty pricey, but my dessert was yummy and I'm glad I went. I haven't gotten to hang out with most of those ladies since I started homeschooling in August. I've passed most of them in church, but haven't gotten to really stop and talk much. I was hoping to ...

We had a field trip to the Columbus Fire Museum that was soooo fun. Such a cool museum and a great tour! Our tour guide, Clement, was amazing and he and Clementine had a good laugh over their similar names.  After the fire museum, we came home and continued to prep some things for dad and MJs trip, which mostly involved hallway hammering and laundry-ing. I don't have much to say about my emotions today. If I'm being honest, I've kind of been a wreck since my big blow up the other day. I don't really trust myself right now and have been on edge. Hoping things get back to normal soon.  But dad and MJ are here! I decided not to go to the MNO with the co-op tonight, even though I was SURE I would go. Of course, it was all the way across town, basically in Gahanna, and it was an hour after my parents got here. It just felt like too much, so I cancelled...and feel like a terrible person. Still. 

Dear Lord, today was a bad day. I don’t know how much I want to go into it, but my parenting was  . I was short fused, cussed to and at the kids, which I NEVER do, and yelled over and over. I kept trying to pull myself out of the shit show I was sinking into, but I couldn’t seem to do it! I stopped and prayed multiple times, but still ended up exploding over something very frustrating, but ultimately inconsequential. I had to apologize to all of the kids for the crappy way I was acting and remind them that, as always, my behavior is NOT THEIR FAULT. I’m responsible for it, not them. I can’t stand the thought of my kids walking on eggshells around me, trying not to set me off. They’re all very gracious and forgiving. Praying that God can help me control my emotions more successfully in the future. I think that in addition to my incredibly heavy period starting and struggling to get those horrible pills prescribed again, the kids have also been pretty disrespectful (all leading to an...

Nature group day! We actually went, after missing it for several weeks. It was good to be there. I had some fun convos with a couple of ladies, hung out with the kids, walked in the woods, and felt much more active than I would have sitting on my couch at home. We had lunch with the group too and I got to talk to Claire some more. She’s really a sweet lady and her boys are adorable. I have such a heart for people who are new in town and having trouble finding their place. After the bathroom project is done, I’ll try and figure out a play date…hopefully in the afternoon! I cooked an enormous dinner tonight and Ben was so overjoyed! I made my own Alfredo sauce, cooked linguini, and made pan fried Parmesan crusted chicken. I also cooked up some garlic bread and fixed a salad. It turned out so good! Honestly, almost as good as Moretti’s. I even sautéed up some mushrooms to go along with it. Delicious!

Today wasn’t bad! We got back into the groove of things, although everyone has been very whiny lately. I didn’t manage to get food ordered in enough time to get them delivered today, so we just kind of scrounged around for things to eat. Ben came home really grumpy, but I stayed positive and he came out of it a bit. We went to group tonight, which was good. I thought the teaching was really relevant to what the weekend was about and how that all connected for me, internally. For me, it really came down to love. What is it, how am I expressing it, am I following what Christ says it should look like through word and deed? I obvs have tons of work to do, but I love to see the same messages come up time and again. It helps me to know I’m on the right track, at least.