We are slowly settling back in from being away! It feels equal parts wonderful and weird. Throw in a dash of reality (I still haven’t even opened Mordecai’s suitcase to unpack it 😅), and you have our life lately!
We have been up to our usual fun—time at the library, homeschool lessons, baking, and more. Sadie also managed to bring home a little souvenir from the beach that we definitely weren’t expecting. Grab your favorite drink and snack and let’s catch up!
First of all, check out my necklace in the photo above. I’m kind of obsessed with it because the clasp is magnetic. Magnetic!! How genius is that? I got it at the OBX Arts & Crafts Festival! I love attending events like that and stumbling upon a new favorite thing.
Okay, let’s talk about what Sadie girl brought home from the beach. I mentioned that she was very into boogie boarding. So much so that she was pretty fearless and ended up getting tumbled by a wave near the end of our trip. She started complaining that her ear hurt and we assumed she got water in her ear.
We used swimmer’s ear drops to try and dry her ear out but they weren’t helping. We had a few rough nights of sleep (I use the word “sleep” loosely here because we didn’t get much of it, haha) and lots of tears. By the time we arrived in Pittsburgh, she was taking Motrin and Tylenol around the clock.
As soon as she arrived home, we went to urgent care. The doctor looked in her ear and found sand in her eardrum. That gives me the heebie jeebies just typing that out!
She was really brave when the doctor flushed the sand out of her ear. I was able to see the basin afterwards and there really was sand at the bottom. It was so wild! I told her she could have brought home sand in a bottle instead of her eardrum. 😉
The doctor prescribed her ten days of antibiotics and while she still had pain for a few days as the antibiotics went to work, she’s finally feeling much better. Whew!
Afterward, because she was such a trooper through it all, I took her to McDonald’s—just the two of us. That brought a big smile to her face!
We’re slowly getting back in the groove of normal life. I haven’t unpacked Mordecai’s suitcase but I baked an apple pie. Classic Allie right there. For some reason, baking a pie signals I’m home to my brain.
Jimmy mowed our lawn, I grocery shopped, and we’ve been to our happy place—the library!
I think our trip was a great reset for the kids. We left in full summer mode and came home to all the neighborhood kids back in school. Our big kids know that they only have each other to play with in the day, and they’ve been getting along surprisingly well?! (I hope I don’t jinx myself typing that out. 😂) I love those days where they play together so well all day.
I’m looking forward to getting fully caught up around here (suitcase, I’m lookin’ at you) and settling into a good rhythm with homeschooling and chores. At the same time, I’m not rushing to get back to reality. Because… what’s the rush?
Something exciting that I came home to was new kitchen floors! When the kids and I left for our trip, Jimmy dropped us off at the Pittsburgh International Airport and immediately went home and started ripping up our old kitchen flooring.
He started on a Monday and was finished by Friday. I love how it turned out! He might continue the flooring throughout the living room and hallway next. We just have to be strategic about when since the kids will be underfoot!
Other fun this week has included decorating for fall and going to acupuncture! Dakota has speech therapy coming up and we might go to an Oktoberfest celebration!
The kids have been having fun doing crafts and painting lately. I’ve also seen our house through fresh eyes since arriving home and have been organizing and decluttering. The best!
That’s everything I have to share today! My next post will include a grocery stock up. 🍏
Other Notes and Thoughts 📝
- Scripture I’m loving: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
- It has been so exciting to find Sadie’s favorite genre of books. She loves graphic novels! She read I Am Pusheen the Cat in one sitting and also loved this! She laughs out loud at the Catwad series constantly.
- Mordecai and I were snuggling in bed the other night and I asked him what he was thinking about. His reply? “Finding a screwdriver.” He’s the coolest.
- Really enjoying my friend Laura’s Substack, Rebuilt. 🤍
Living My Full Life 