This is a copycat post inspired by A.M. Pine at Hearth Ridge Reflections.
Any given Thursday…
Unintentionally wake up at 3:30 am – intense anxiety; pray for all the things; move to couch as to not wake husband who is intermittently snoring; buy “Mama Bear Apologetics” for 1 credit on Audible; change my mind and put on “sound therapy: cortisol reduction” (x 2); still awake at 5 am; watch “The Crossover: S1 E1” on Disney +; still awake at 5:30; put on “Beauty and the Beast” hoping that will make me fall asleep…
7:50 am: wake up to the sound of Keva planks falling and my younger two bickering – at least I fell back asleep for a bit; tell them to go eat breakfast
Check blog comments and respond; check texts
Cancel trip to library bc the Sequoia is in the shop getting new tires; cancel going to ranger talk bc oldest son is working until 5 pm at his first real job; mentally rework activities for today – trying to figure out how to schedule our lives with my oldest’s work schedule… do we reschedule to include him or do things without him???
Approve tween’s requests for computer time to do math
Check clothes in dryer – not quite done yet
Take out my retainer; brush my teeth; redo messy bun; grab hoodie – it’s chilly
Brew myself a cup of tea

Tidy up couch & make bed; put away books from last night
Jot down favorite quotes from last night’s book

Clothes in dryer are done – fold laundry
Step on a piece of cat litter – vacuum all high-traffic areas of laminate flooring
Start a new load of laundry – remember how the tween/teen thought Dippin’ Dots ice cream was laundry scent booster when they had it for the first time at the baseball game on Tuesday. Lol
Sip tea – finally
Approve teen’s requests for computer time to do typing, Spanish and PSYC 101
Text friend our summer travel dates to see if her son wants to feed/water out chickens while we’re gone. Text group of friends our plan to see “Minions: Rise of Gru” with date, time, and theater info.
Open COLOGUARD® TEST kit and read directions – not looking forward to this – put box aside for another day
Label and put away some boxes of school supplies in my bedroom closet
Approve daughter’s request for computer time to look for wookie cookie recipes
Move cat off my chair and help my youngest son with math – sit in chair and do nothing (he just needed emotional support)
Review Amazon Cart; look for “Mother Culture” on ThriftBooks to compare prices; place Amazon order
Approve daughter’s request for computer time for drawing tutorial
Make myself a cup of hot cocoa
Approve tween’s request for computer time to do typing and Spanish
Realized I had meant to make sourdough bread earlier this morning; start sourdough – hope I didn’t kill the starter by forgetting to feed it; feed starter; wonder what to do with starter discard???
Text alternate friend re: chickens; set up date to teach her son how to feed/water chickens
Talk to oldest son about his new job
Add groceries to online Walmart cart
Switch laundry
Send oldest son off to work
Help youngest son write to pen pals and address envelopes
Problem with the tires for the Sequoia; drive husband to auto shop – grateful he can take care of it today; pray there’s not an earthquake in the 20 minutes we’re away from the house (a 5.7 really shook us up a couple weeks ago and this week, we’ve had three 3.3-3.5 quakes but you only feel those if you’re sitting still)
Drive home; notice a single cloud in the blue sky

Take a shower; step on scale; wish the numbers were different; resolve not to eat brownies that are on the kitchen counter; get dressed and put some thought into a semi put together outfit bc I have a hair appointment later this afternoon
Noon lunch alarm; tell the tween/teen to make themselves a sandwich
Realize I never started the washing machine earlier; add a few more towels and press the start button this time; fold dry laundry; put away white t-shirts for 4th of July tie-dye project
Go out front and turn on two hydrants to water trees on drip line; almost step on a lizard on the front porch (got to slow down and look for those); take a photo of globemallow flowers for a future post about my favorite summer things; startle another lizard – this one was faster; set a timer for an hour


Add marshmallow fluff to the online Walmart cart for my daughter’s cookie recipe; reserve pick-up time and place Walmart order for pick-up tomorrow
Grab a lunch snack of bread and cheese; ask my daughter to load the dishwasher 

Eat in the car on the way to pick up my husband at the auto shop; say another prayer for no earthquakes; tell my husband about this blog project; eat three bites of his burrito
Finish loading dishwasher; scrub burnt jello out of pot; run dishwasher
Put on hand cream; sit down; look up hydrant timer – four minutes left
Taste test one bite of daughter’s cookies
Hydrant timer goes off; head outside to turn off the front hydrants and turn on the back hydrants; splitter is busted and I soaked myself with water; feel frustrated & wish I hadn’t changed out of my comfy clothes already; ask my tween/teen to look for a new splitter in the garage (definitely could’ve asked nicer); my husband is taking a sick day (he caught what the kids had at Valley of Fire), he sees my frustration and fixes the hydrant for me; set timer for an hour
Grab my book to read a chapter outside maybe my pants will dry out in time – it’s warmed up a lot since this morning; I need to leave in an hour

Hear birds chattering and then see bright yellow orioles fighting in the cottonwood tree

Kids and I are grossed out bc our indoor cat, Luke, just caught and killed a lizard on the back patio and he wants to bring it inside to share with us – this has never happened before; my husband saves the day again to toss the carcass
My stylist texts me to move my hair appointment back 15 minutes
My pants are dry; need to check the laundry
Go give my husband a hug, he’s playing “Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild” on the couch, can’t remember the last time he played a video game, he’s been so slammed with work the past few months, it’s no wonder he got sick
Switch the laundry
Apply foundation and lip gloss in an attempt to look a bit more put together for my haircut; kiss family before I leave; drive to hair appointment; my stylist has been having a really rough month so I got her a little gift of her favorite brand of lotion – this one smells amazing & summery

Arrive at salon five minutes early; text family at home to see if someone will turn off the back water hydrants; take before picture of my hair for this blog post


Call my dad and chat on the drive home; arrive back home; turn off water hydrants bc no one got my text
Eat a snack of cheese and crackers; start dinner = potato leek soup; remind tween/teen to do their chemistry experiment; admire and praise their efforts in performing the experiment

Sourdough starter that I fed looks good; put on the lid and stick it in the fridge; sourdough looks good; assemble new bread lame; score bread; put it in the oven
Eat one of the brownies that I had resolved earlier, not to eat
Empty the dishwasher while my husband and kids assemble the new kayak outside; savor the smell of sautéing leeks and onions
Purée the soup; add potato chunks; taste and season; timer for the bread goes off; check the internal temperature not quite done; start loading the dishwasher
Switch the laundry and leave the washing machine open for my son‘s dirty work clothes that will need to be washed for tomorrow
My oldest son texts that he’s done with work and on his way home
Fold the dry laundry that came out earlier and is sitting on my bed; bread timer goes off again; internal temperature is good; return to folding laundry

16-year-old son arrives home from work with dirty laundry; continue loading the dishwasher until sink is empty; sit down and work on this post before dinner
Eat dinner with the whole family; pray for our family of the week (we saved the Christmas cards we received and we’re praying for one family each week)
Ask all 3 kids to clean the kitchen; tell my youngest to take his Rx; have everyone who hasn’t showered, shower; remind everyone to brush their teeth
Take my vitamins and Rx: Lisinopril 10mg; sit on the couch and read my book, “Hold on to Your Kids” until everyone is ready for evening reading time
Evening reading time: “Marvel at the Moon”, “Aesop’s Fables”, “The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems”, “The Crossover” on Libby 54% done
Bedtime prayers; realize no one started the washing machine; find some clean clothes for my oldest to wear to work tomorrow
Kids go to bedrooms to journal/read; my husband and I talk with our oldest about paperwork for his job
Watch 2 episodes of “Superstore” with my husband; brush my teeth and put in my retainer; go to bed
“O-dark-thirty” aka “the middle of the night” a 4.1 and a 5.2 on the Richter scale (back-to-back) wakes everybody up
Woooooowsers!! Mothers are awesome. 😎 👏 I love your flowers and scenery. Sooo different than Wisconsin! I really enjoyed reading this, Jen. So fun that you did it too. Now I’m tired. 😴😂🤣😅
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