Is 2025 starting off well for you thus far? We’re still a little rocky over here. Poor Jimmy got sick (with the same thing Sadie and I had 🥴) but we’re all making the best of it and surviving! Who is tired of me blogging about sickness? I’m tired of me blogging about sickness! But this blog is about my life and unfortunately it has revolved around sickness way too much lately 😂 I’m hoping we’re getting the winter germs out of the way before the baby comes, though. A girl can dream, right?
Poor Jimmy had to take a day off work and was down for the count for a bit. It’s so sad seeing him sick, and it was especially hard for Sadie to see him not feeling well. She was so worried about dad! She feels emotions very deeply and that’s such a gift.
Want to hear a secret about Sadie? She has her first loose tooth! She started to act a little weird the other day and I finally got it out of her that her tooth felt funny. She was able to wiggle it and I was so excited! She was so freaked out, lol. I have a feeling Sadie will leave this wiggly tooth in her mouth until it’s hanging on for dear life. She is funny about things like that. I’ll keep you posted on when she loses it (I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for when it falls out 🤣). I can’t believe we’re already at that point. Wasn’t she just a baby?!
The day Jimmy was sick, it snowed and snowed. I was planning on getting the kids out of the house so Jimmy could rest, but the roads were snowy so we made the best of it and got outside!
Did it take 30 minutes to get on snow suits, jackets, hats, gloves, and more? Yes. Did we spend about 30 minutes total outside? Probably. Was it 100% worth it? Yes! They loved being in the snow. Until Mordecai decided he didn’t want to wear mittens anymore and his hands got cold, lol. He’s at the age where it’s hard for him to understand why he has to do things (like keep mittens on).
While life lately has been filled with one sickness after another, dealing with gestational diabetes and iron infusions, losing power, and other random challenges… it’s all still so good. There have been so many bright spots amongst the hard!
My daily Bible time in the book of Job has been a blessing to me. I am really loving it and all I’m learning.
A fancy coffee now and then is always a treat! I got a vanilla iced latte and Jimmy got the new Cortado drink from Starbucks.
Spending time with Sader Tot and Mordecai is always a boost! Caring for their sweet souls and bodies gives me so much purpose 🤍
It’s Valentine’s Day season! My favorite holiday!! I pulled out our decor and got an instant hit of joy.
Other bright spots:
- Reading and reading and reading. Always!
- Family life
- Homeschooling and seeing Sadie learn right before my eyes!
- Blogging. I love this community so much 🫶
- Etsy! Sales are slower than December, but still coming in! It’s just right.
- Preparing for baby #3
So… that’s life lately. I’ve also been trying to make a decision on Etsy for Valentine’s Day. I usually offer Valentine’s-themed chocolate covered Oreos in my shop and they do well… but I don’t know if I’ll be making my life harder than it needs to be (I’m really good at doing that 😆). I’ll probably be about 37-38 weeks pregnant when orders will get busy. I usually carry my babies to 41 weeks, so that’s not a problem. I kept my shop open until I was 39 weeks, 4 days with Mordecai! But I also only had one kid and it wasn’t a busy ordering time 🤷🏼♀️
I guess I’m just thinking… should I slow down and nest/prepare/focus on our family and home or go for it with my passion and keep myself busy (though I always find a way to keep busy ha)?
Decisions, decisions! I’d love to hear your opinion. What would you do?
Living My Full Life 
Ohh man, tough question about the Etsy shop. I wonder if you could keep it open and try it for a bit, and if you start to feel swamped you can then shut it off to prevent any further orders? I don’t entirely know how it works with Etsy. I also don’t assume people are ordering all month long, it’s likely all at once in a massive dose?
Orrrr. Maybe you could open it and give yourself an allotted amount. Like say you will fulfill ten orders and once you’ve hit that you will shut down the store. Does it work like that? Lol.
Bummer about everyone being sick! It has to be tough with kiddos, they grab onto germs so easily. I love how you refer to Sadie’s sensitivity as being great, because I’m the same way and girllll sometimes it feels like A CURSE! Good reminder that it’s not.
Teeth fascinate me. The fact that we have two sets in our lifetime, and that they don’t just grow with us like our bones grow as we get older blows my mind. 🤣
Oooo, you made so many good points!! Like I can set an amount and if/when they sell out, that’s it or if I get too busy, I can just be done! Thank you for the wisdom and ideas!!
YES, I promise I got sick like 2x a year (with a cold!) before kids. Now it’s something every month haha.
Deeply feeling allll those feelings can be so hard to deal with and manage but I think the best people in the world are the deep feelers like you and Sadie 🫶
Right… what is up with teeth?! Am I remembering right that you went to dental hygenist school? I think that’s so cool and that there’s probably so much to learn!
I am the type of person who will struggle to commit to things at times, so I always need to have an “out” of sorts. For me that would be allowing myself to stop with the Etsy shop at any moment. HA.
Good memory about the dental hygiene stuff! I never ended up going to DH school, but I took all the prerequisite classes for it. I applied to the program twice, but was put on the alternate list (the list for if anyone ended up dropping out from the original chosen 20 or so people.) I decided striving for a 4.0 in all my classes in order to get in just wasn’t for me! I don’t think I wanted it bad enough to be honest. I still like teeth though!
I know exactly what you mean!! I feel like having that backup of being able to press pause (or stop!) at any time gives my brain a rest lol.
Ok, I’m glad I wasn’t making things up in my head about the dental stuff!! I can’t believe the requirements just to get into the program?! What in the world!!!! I would never make it haha.
Okay, I want to hear all your teeth favorites (toothbrush/toothpaste/etc.) and tips. What are your thoughts on tongue scrapers? Teeth whitening? Tell me! I am a sideline dental nerd (mostly because I’m afraid of having to have any dental work done… it keeps me in line with brushing and flossing!).
LOLOL! I use a Sonicare, I think electric toothbrushes are the way to go. I don’t think the type matters as much. Duncan uses an Oral B, but I’ve always been partial to Sonicare.
I don’t like fluoride in my toothpaste (I’m one of those) so I use an essential oil based toothpaste that hasn’t steered me wrong for years. I’m not sure this one matters as much as actually brushing. I think brushing without toothpaste works too, but the paste gives the refreshing feel.
I can’t stand mouthwash. Especially alcohol based mouthwash, that belongs in the trash for multiple reasons.
Tongue scraper is a MUST. I’ve been using one for over a decade and feel incomplete without it. I use it to feel clean, but there’s also science behind it being helpful for gut health. Who knows, but I LOVE IT. I have used two types in my life, but swear by the Breath RX plastic one. Lasts forever.
I used to use whitening stuff, but it scares me now. I don’t know enough science behind it, but I feel like that can’t be good for the enamel long term. My teeth aren’t too dull, but as I get older I can definitely tell they’re not like when I was younger. This is where toothpaste with things like baking soda might be helpful to be less aggressive than an actual whitening product. I’m also weird about chemicals so the whitening products are scary to me. Personal preference hahah.
Aannnddd flossing is also a must, but admittedly I don’t do it daily. I do it maybe 2x a week. I could be better, but I know it’s still better than nothing! Duncan has a Waterpik, his dentist swears by them too, but I didn’t love it. OH and the nice gloss like Glide that is kinda waxy? They had a lawsuit I believe recently for cancer causing properties. Sooo I use the old school floss that’s sorta scratchy. I had a hygienist tell me once that it’s better for actually getting plaque off the sides of teeth anyway. Makes sense.
That’s all I’ve got from my own personal preferences haha.
Okay, YAY! I love the time you took to send this comment! I so appreciate it!
I have an electric toothbrush (and I’ve had a few) and I agree… it doesn’t seem like the brand matters too much, it’s more the power behind it versus manually brushing. Which toothpaste do you use? I just got Jimmy a Marvis brand set for Christmas (it has all different flavors and I think it’s made in Italy?!) and it has been fun to use.
My dental hygienist told me alcohol based mouthwash can cause cancer so I haven’t been using that, thankfully! How do you feel about oil pulling? Is it a crock or does it work?
I need to get a tongue scraper stat! I am going to look up the Breath RX one asap!
I get scared about teeth whitening too! Like long term.. what is it going to do to my enamel LOL.
What floss brand do you use? I am going to have to throw out my Glide hahaha. I also use the floss picks because they’re so fast and easy to use!
Sorry for throwing a bunch more questions at you, haha.
LOL this is such a fun conversation. Never apologize. The toothpaste I use is made by Young Living. My mom uses their essential oils, and while some of the oils stuff can be a bit “woo woo” I really do enjoy the toothpaste.
YES about mouthwash with alcohol and cancer. The alcohol also dries out your mouth which is counterintuitive because that will cause more bacteria (saliva is good, saliva has antibacterial properties against the bad guys!) so in turn it will make your breath smell again? Maybe that was their ploy.
The Breath Rx scraper I use is the white one that’s double sided on Amazon. I just clean it with alcohol wipes every few days. I am on my second one in like 20 years, so they really last. I tried a metal one and it was awful. The ridges are where it’s at.
I want to believe in oil pulling. I’ve tried it myself, but not consistently. I know coconut oil specifically IS anti-fungal (I actually use it on my skin specifically if I get any irritation from the clothing we have at work and the coconut oil clears it up) so theoretically it makes sense to me. I just like to see proven studies, but I don’t think it can HURT.
I still use a mainstream floss made by G.U.M. I got a six pack at Costco, and the key was just ensuring it did not have the wax coating like the Glide. I hope this one is safe to use, I love a good “natural” product, but spending $10 on a tiny roll of bamboo floss is too far.
Ooo, I will have to check out the YL toothpaste! So much good info about mouthwash. That’s fascinating to me! I always felt kinda bad if I didn’t use it and now I don’t feel so bad, hahah. Dude only your second tongue scraper in 20 years!! That thing is a piece of pure gold then!
Thanks for the info on oil pulling! I always wondered! I guess it’s too new (to our society, lol) to have a ton of research baking it up. I like that it’s just coconut oil… so it’s not going to harm us like a mouthwash filled with random stuff lol.
I will definitely look for the un-waxed floss from now on! I know what you mean about the bamboo floss… like why does it have to be so pricey! I cannot haha.
it was so pitiful to see Jimmy laying in the couch sick. And Sadie being so concerned about him how sweet! I can remember you losing teeth and the tooth fairy, haha!
I’m thinking shut down Etsy on Valentine’s ,s 💘 Day ?
Love ❤️ You!
Dad
Tell me about it! It was so sweet how much Sadie worried about him and prayed for him to feel better. Feels like just yesterday it was me losing my teeth!! I remember letting the first few hang on for-ev-er and then just ripping them out by the end haha.
I am so torn on Etsy!! Thank you for your input… I value it so much!
Love you!
I feel so bad your whole family was struck with some sort of illness again!
I think Sadie will get use to the idea of her tooth being loose, and maybe we can find some books or a video for her to watch, and realize it’s not so bad! I also feel as if she will be one of those kids that the tooth will be dangling and randomly fall out – and she’ll say “well that wasn’t so bad!”
As far as your Etsy shop, I think you really love it, and that matters, but you being stressed & burned out matters more. Pray about it for sure!
3 bright spots in my life lately:
I honestly don’t mind the snow & winter weather (good thing!)
Thinking of 2 new babies joining our family 🙂
Reading and studying my bible more
Love you,
Madre
Ugh, it has been one sickness after another but hopefully we’re on the upswing here!
I can’t wait to see her little gap-toothed smile when she finally loses that tooth!!!
Still praying about Etsy! Thank you ❤️
The snow and winter weather can be fun and cozy (as long as I don’t have to drive haha).
So exciting about the babies! And YAY for more Bible time!
What’s the going rate for losing teeth these days? When I was Sadie’s age it was 20c-50c, but that was 40 years ago!
Wow, you got jipped, lol!! I remember getting a dollar in my little tooth holder when I grew up. Sadie didn’t get anything, oops!