Family Living: Abbott Style

Today I was catching up with a friend when she thoughtfully wished me well during the month of February. Through the years, she has learned how much I loath the winter months. I tend to struggle, particularly, in January and February.  The holidays are over. It is dark all the time. And the weather sucks. I read somewhere that 2 hours of outdoor time is the new 10,000 steps. That resonated deeply.  Luckily, this year--the seasonal depression didn't hit me like years past.  Partially because, leading up to the holidays, I was already at war with my mental health. I mean, 2020, who wasn't? Since having Jackson, things--emotionally--just haven't been the same.  I dealt with some pp anxiety that I ended up seeking help for--and found SO much help and relief.   But atlas.... Lingering under the surface was something new.  Irritability. Anger. ---And like a wave, during certain parts of my hormonal cycle, that anger would over take me. In 2019, I spoke to m...

It has been awhile.   I've decided to just jump in like no time as passed and see what happens.  I am trying desperately to get my social media usage under control. Insert "The Social Dilemma"  plug here. I have every reason to delete all social media. And every excuse not to. For now, I have decided to use the season of Lent as a time to focus on moderation. I have set a screen time limit on my phone for social media. At exactly 9:45 this morning, I hit my screen time limit.  Day 3 and my resolve is already waining.  During this soul searching pertaining to my technology/social media usage  (or maybe perhaps, how it has gripped my life and started using me), I felt nostalgic for the days I would just sit down and write. Writing, second to running--I find very therapeutic.  I want to write a book. I have no idea what about.   Or what genre.  But if this is a goal that I want to take seriously, I must write and I must write often....

It is a funny thing. I often look back over the years of words poured out over the blog and laugh. So young. Naive.  Immature. Words filled the screen--gushing about raising my daughter--mostly.  Life.  Fitness.  Being a wife. Looking back, it feels like a simpler time.  While I wouldn't have thought so at the time. Now, I read and wonder-how did I get so off track? Don't get me wrong, I have experienced SO much growth over the past 9 years. But the passion for parenting that had me writing day after day after day--vanished. There are a million little things. Raising toddlers is hard. Raising two kids is hard. Raising three kids is hard. It was no longer the new thing in my life. I've been at this parenting thing for 8 years now. So many factors. But at some point, I stopped cherishing parenting and started enduring it.  For awhile now, my prayers have been asking God to give me more patience with my kids. That I could be a mom that wou...

Let this post serve as a reminder. When I look back and desperately miss when my kids were "little"....... Toddlers are the literal worst.

Here I sit with an unfamiliar feeling on an oh-so-familiar night.... Almost 10 years of marriage and 3 kids later. I still don't know what it feels like to have a 'traditional' marriage.  And maybe, a traditional marriage doesn't actually exist. You know what I mean? The whole, leave-it-to-beaver-dream-marriage: Husband and wife wake up together. Husband goes to work. Wife attends to house and children Husband comes home Eat dinner as a family Bedtime as a family. Go to bed with husband, at the same time. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. I know it is almost a taboo thing to want in this feminist era. But this was the dream for me. However, I also signed up for cop-wife-life. And that is anything but Leave-it-to-Beaver. Over the past years, I have learned to make lemonade out of lemons. I have learned to manage my lonely nights with wine and Netflix. I have embraced the pros of our flipped schedule. And the fact that I have the flexibility in my jobs to be ho...

Today, my sweet little girl turned 6. Our lives have been chaos lately, so it was very important to me that she felt special today. I attended her FABULOUS school play, we kidnapped her at lunch to spend some birthday money and eat Jose Peppers--after school--was swim lessons, pizza and cake at grandma and grandpas. It was perfect. This evening, she was singing in the shower and cuddled up to bed with a mermaid tail blanket. Like most yearly events, I can't help but spend some time in reflection. First, I want to encourage moms everywhere. Parenting is hard. From day 1 with Haley, I felt like I was always struggling to "figure it out". How to not mess her up. As I stand here after 6 years, I still haven't figured it out. But she has turned out to be a wonderful little girl in spite of it all. The 3's and 4's are tough. But something magical happens in kindergarten. ---and I have enjoyed ...

Today is a good day.   Starting Sunday, Haley started running a fever and complaining of neck pain, headache, and sore throat.  This continued for several days and she has yet to go to school this week.  While taxing and frustrating, there was something good that game out of it.  Haley is feeling much better today, so we took advantage of the situation and invited her to the ultrasound of her little brother! He is developing beautifully.  Placenta has migrated so no previa.  The baby was an active little boy, kicking wiggling around.   The woman doing the sonogram was getting so tickled and ended up taking about 30 pictures total of the baby.  She said he is a character already.  The joy filled the room. Praise be to God.   The thought of three kids is sometimes...terrifying.  It is hard to imagine.  I remember similar feelings when I was pregnant with Owen.  But eventually, it passes.  The...