The Saturday 7

1. The girls' progress reports came home this week. They're both excelling and learning everything they need to. Lucy's teacher didn't write a little blurb, but Lena's did. She said that Lena is helpful, kind, respectful, obedient, eager to learn, knows all the rules and follows them. Pretty much everything a parent wants to hear about their kid. I patted myself on the back a little bit, but then started to question how much of that has to do with my parenting prowess (especially considering the whiny wreck she is at home). I decided that I can attribute maybe 10% of her obedience to parenting, 50% to her personality, and 40% to her anxiety of doing something wrong/getting in trouble. So basically she got Justin's personality mixed with my anxiety. Lucky girl. Haha.

2. The girls also had dentist appointments this week. Lucy's only been once and Lena's never been because we don't have dental insurance. But a new place opened this summer that takes Medicaid so I finally got them in. They were ridiculously excited about it. Lol.

Neither of them had cavities (thank you, good genes!), and they both did great. Lena's hygienist was amazed at how well she followed directions and sat still. I think people think she's younger than she is because she's so little . . .

3. I had another rough depression week. I just can't shake it for some reason. Last night, I decided to take the girls to the My Little Pony movie to try and lift my spirits (and make up for the awful mom I was all week).

It was a disaster. They wouldn't sit still or be quiet, they each had to go potty at different times, they begged loudly for a pop refill, whined loudly when I took the popcorn away, and kept climbing on the seats. I was so frustrated. When we left, they were both whining that they wanted more popcorn, so I gave them the leftovers with this warning, "You have had too much already. You are going to puke. And when you puke, you are going to clean it up yourself." Did either of them heed my warning? No. Did one of them puke an hour after she went to bed? Yes. Did I make her clean it up herself? No. I am a pushover. (And P.S. the movie was really stupid.)

4. Since the movie didn't help my depression, I tried another tactic - this one without my kids. Haha. In case you forgot, my birthday is in 3 days. So I've decided that birthday week starts today. My fabulous friend Kelly met me in Newaygo for breakfast and thrift shopping. It. Was. Glorious. Shopping to my heart's content, trying everything on, looking at everything leisurely. Of course I didn't actually buy much because I'm very picky. I tried on 8 pairs of jeans and bought one. And I don't even know how many shirts I tried on, but I only bought 3. Of course I also got a few books. And a big coffee mug, just for fun. Happy birthday to me!!

5. Here's a random one . . . I want to know if there's a way to see the most common names for main characters in modern fiction. I feel like 20% of the books I read have a main character named Kate. Lucy is also up there. I'd guess both of those names are popular in fiction because they're short, easily recognized, and somewhat timeless. Right now I'm reading a book that was published this year but the main character's name is Tara. I really dislike that name. It seems very 80s to me. I'll take Kate or Lucy any day over that.

6. Justin and I went to Red Robin tonight for my free birthday burger. It's the one restaurant we love that doesn't have a location very close to us. So on the long drive home, I was scrolling through facebook and came across this incredibly convicting article: Dear Mamas, This is the One Thing that will Destroy Your Home The author warns against hardening your heart toward your kids. And she gives very concrete examples of what that looks like. It was an eye opener for me. I've been really convicted this year that I treat my kids like nuisances. It goes hand in hand with my intense selfishness/laziness. I just want everyone to leave me alone so I can do what I want. How's that for a truth bomb? I hate it about myself, but I need to do more than wallow in my self-loathing. I need to shut my stupid computer, turn off my stupid phone, look my kids in the eye, and engage with them. Why is that so hard? Ugh.

7. Lots of pictures . . .

I <3 the Amish

Lucy typed the caption. It's supposed to be "upside-down Levi"

Ready for gymnastics!

Crying because the donuts are gone . . .

Lena insisted on playing real Scrabble instead of Scrabble Jr. so she could keep score. Since she can't read or spell, I got to play words for myself and her and she just wrote down the score.