Finding All the Balance

It's the end of another year, and that makes this the perfect time to sit back and reflect on what we did, what we did not do, and what we want to do better in the days going forward. In the spirit of the Zeitgeist, I can honestly say 2016 was one of the hardest years our family has experienced, so we are definitely looking forward to new beginnings. Things will still be hard for a while, but we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

So what have we been doing to find balance during this hectic time of life?

Look forward

I never really get the post-holiday blues, and I think this is because my life so full that I always have something to which I can look forward. Having something fun in sight always keeps me motivated. Even during our darkest days of 2016, I planned family trips to Glacier and the Portland Zoo. When finances were tight, small and budget-friendly ways to fill our days were planned in advance: taking a city bus to the park, walking to story hour at the library, taking hikes, and wildlife watching excursions.

Each Friday, Jeff brought Everett (and sometimes me and the baby when I was on maternity leave) to the Waldorf school for a parent-child class. After each class they would go to a coffee shop or the Donut Parade (RIP) for quality time. Having events on a schedule removes so much daily anxiety. And you are forced to get up, get ready, get out! Our hardest parenting days are the ones we spend cooped up inside with nothing to do.

Put others first

Doing things with kids is never easy. Taking a trip to Glacier with kids is vastly different than the National Parks trips we took a few years ago (we will not be carting 60 lbs of kiddos into the Grand Canyon anytime soon), but Everett soooo appreciated the experience. Even when the wind and rain kept most tourists inside, he wanted to throw rocks into the lake or drive around looking for bears (we saw many!). On a regular basis he asks if we can go to Glacier again. The trip was hard, but it would have been even harder had we not set aside our adult expectations and let the kids have a good time.

I found myself frustrated this Christmas for many different reasons. I was cranky, irritable, and determined to show it! Then I got to thinking, do I want my kids to remember me mad on Christmas day? Do I really want to be selfish and steal away the magic of the day? I did a complete 180 with my attitude, put my family's feelings first, and we had such a great day after that. Turns out empathy feels pretty good.

Make good choices

This year Jeff and I practiced "A Week of [...]" This meant choosing one healthy activity to focus on every day for a week - i.e. monitoring our device usage, eating more servings of fresh and local produce, drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, drinking tea instead of coffee, exercising daily, going to bed early, etc. By choosing one activity to focus on each week, we were able to create healthier lifestyles for ourselves without the drama.

It's amazing how doing something every day for as short as a week can make the activity essential to your overall health and well-being.

Be creative

Whether you keep a sketchbook, take pictures, write a poem, paint with your kiddos, or sing a song, art and creativity should be a daily part of life. Checking out an art book from the library and trying to replicate a favorite piece of art is a great way to start. Even if it does not look like the original, the process is important.

I try to practice creativity in my job as well. I ask myself, "What can I do today that is new and exciting? How can I make this process faster or easier in the future?" Take the tools you have and go! Maybe watching a YouTube video about Excel spreadsheets is all you need to streamline a mundane task! You never know until you empower yourself with knowledge and creativity, and you will never be creative and knowledgeable without trying.

Focus on the right things

When I look at my full calendar and limited number of nap time hours, I have to say "No" to many things. And guess what...it feels good. This year I did not bake Christmas cookies. I did not plan a huge birthday bash for Everett. I did not go to Costco as often as I should have. I did not clean the shower for 2 months (calm down I did it the other day). I didn't blog...

I chose to put my limited time and energy elsewhere, and I think my kids benefited from having a balanced mother. I had the energy to get up at 5:00 in the morning to exercise, and guess what, I didn't even shower afterwards. Gasp! No one noticed. The shower was dirty anyway.

Never look back

Don't hold grudges. It's just too much weight for a human heart to bear. We are all human, we all have our own viewpoints, and things/people that are different can be scary. Just do what makes you happy and gives you the least amount of anxiety, and stop judging others for their choices if those choices are different from your own. We are more alike than we realize, and we each just have a different way of experiencing the world. Stop hating on my Flow, because I already stopped hating on yours.

***

So my New Year's Resolution? To keep doing all these things, but to do them exponentially better. 

Telecommuting (3)

Everett and I had quite the busy telecommuting day. Between checking emails and finishing work projects, we brought the cat to a $400 vet appointment (not doing that again), worked on his Halloween costume, went to a parent-teacher conference at his school, got his hair cut, and visited the Finch Arboretum. At the end of the day I went to prego yoga, then crashed on the couch and binge watched Vampire Diaries.

What a perfect day it was! I was especially ecstatic about taking Everett to the arboretum on a day when there weren't a million families in matching outfits getting their Christmas photos taken (that will be us in a couple weeks, so no judgment).

Observing the leaves falling from the trees.

Everett's favorite part of the arboretum is the stream. Big surprise?

He loved throwing leaves in the water, then watching them float away. I find these types of activities helpful for raising a little boy. They do not need piles of toys to stay entertained when imagination and natural reasoning skills are properly developed.

We found an awesome pile of leaves on our way back to the car. 

I have a hysterical video of him jumping in the pile, turning around to tell me to stop taking pictures, then walking toward me demanding I put my phone away. After that he searched really hard to find me the perfect leaf. Such a sweet and sassy boy! And for the record, he loved watching those videos of himself later. You're welcome, sonny. Mom knows best.

 The arboretum is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon in Spokane. I love exploring all the trails and unique trees, and Everett had a pretty good time, too.

We absolutely love the gal who cuts Everett's hair. If you live in Spokane and need someone to do your family's hair, Miranda is theeee best. She is great with kids, and has a kid-friendly area for when moms and dads need to get their hair done. Most of the time I will book Everett's and my appointment back to back, then he gets to play with her awesome toys while I get beautified. I will not let anyone else touch my hair, or Everett's for that matter. You have to book her pretty far in advance, because she is that awesome, but the wait is totally worth it.

I am so proud of this little guy. He is growing up to be quite the young man. He is respectful to his friends, has made huge strides with sharing (thanks daycare!), I can trust him when he's playing independently, and he has been an incredible listener these last few weeks. Of course he has his moments, but at the end of the day I feel so lucky to be his mom. #blessed

Weekenders {Holiday Edition}

Spokane has a lot to offer during the holidays. Our favorite tradition is driving to Lake Coeur d' Alene to watch the bald eagles. 

Yesterday was the perfect day for this. It has been unseasonably warm, but it was still frigid by the waters. Good thing I finished my quilt! Seriously, we would have been dying without it. I had to keep Everett in the Ergo for extra warmth, and to restrain him from attempting to jump in the water (he kept asking if he could).

Everett loved watching the eagles swoop down toward the water. You can catch a glimpse of one from afar in this photo! This is a pretty remarkable thing we get to witness every year at this time.

Our usual routine is to round out our evenings in CDA by visiting the ornament shop and the Irish store, then enjoying a cup of hot chocolate at the resort while looking at the lights on the boardwalk. 

And for one weekend only, Riverside State Park strings up lights at the Bowl and Pitcher. Even the suspension bridge is decorated, which is pretty terrifying - yet special. It is good the weather has been so warm, or the whole experience in the park would have been treacherous. My dad and step-mom met us down there for the festivities.

It's a good thing I take so many pictures, because the next day I realized how insufficient Everett's winter wardrobe is. I ran by REI after church and spent $50+ on wool socks alone to get us through the winter. I realize this is a lot to spend on a kid's underwear, but his comfort means we have more outdoor time this winter, and he certainly appreciated the warm feet and legs the following day in Coeur d' Alene. Next on the list is a new (longer) pair of jeans. The kid tears hats off his head in seconds, so I've lost that battle for now.

Despite the cold, we all had a fantastic time. There were plenty of activities for kids of all ages, including a hay ride, visits with Santa, bonfires, warm beverages, and real life owls. Here's what went down when E got to meet Santa for the first time:

"Yeeeeeah...this is effed."

"Grandpa, please save me!"

"If I must."

His hair was so crazy because he kept tearing off his hat.

Everett was most impressed with the bonfires they had around the park. A log would crack, sparks would fly, and he would yell, "It's snowing!"

He is so lucky to have Grandparents who love spending time with him. And check it out: the three most important men in my life, all in one picture.

Autumn Weekends

I randomly got a 3-day weekend, and boy did I ever take advantage of it! It has been a crazy couple weeks: our dryer broke and we were air drying clothes for a few days (good thing cloth diapers prepared us for this), and Willow suffered from a broken nail. This last thing sounds trivial, but anyone who has ever had this happen to a dog can understand the severity of the situation. She left blood stains all over our house and car and souls. Luckily this weekend gave us a chance to make sure all that stuff has been cleaned and sanitized, and I had plenty of time for rest and relaxation (and sewing).

This weekend Jeff and I finished season 5 of The Vampire Diaries on Netflix. You can judge all you want, but that show is addicting. On Saturday night my friend and I went to the Blue Man Group. It was so random, and so funny, and we deduced that people so need to be on drugs to fully appreciate the experience. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our sober viewing of mimes plastered in blue paint.

After church, we went up to Greenbluff. It was a little too crazy up there for me, so I think it will be weekday excursions from now on. Apparently becoming a mother has given me crowd anxiety.

On my last night home, Everett and I played at the park until well after dark. Then I made us some hot chocolate before we settled down for bed. It was the perfect way to end the long weekend.

But my favorite moment was going to the Finch Arboretum. Spokane weather has been fantastic this fall, and the trees are changing at the perfect pace: slowly. To top it all off, Everett's autumnal joy is exactly what I was hoping it would be.

 We learned how to throw leaves:

One...

Two...

Fwee!

Not sure why he's posing like a gopher in this photo...but his expression is too funny not to share.

 

The only bad thing about being the photographer of the family is that the pictures of me turn out like this...

And this...

Sasquatch lives!

Oh well...

Ok, I think I've bombarded you with enough photographs for now. Our goal was to get Christmas card photos, but I couldn't get the self-timer on the camera to work. It's an old piece of equipment, so no surprises there. However, Everett was very helpful with the tripod.

I know, I said I was done posting pictures. Sorry not sorry!

 I hope your fall is as lovely as ours has been. If not, autumnal blessings sent to you from the Wirths!

Wine Tasting and Huckleberry Picking

Another great weekend in the books! Jeff and I drove down to Walla Walla for a night to celebrate our BFF's 30th birthday. We stopped at a few wineries and enjoyed the sights of Southeastern Washington. Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Sleight of Hand is so quirky that you just have to stop in for a visit. I mean, who else features Neil Patrick Harris's face on a bottle?

Yes, I did buy a bottle of the Neil Patrick Harris vintage.

And guess who happened to be getting hitched during that exact moment I was drinking out of his face...NPH himself! It was meant to be. 

We were the only people tasting at that time of day, so we got to choose which record was playing while we sipped on wine. Good wine + good music means lots of dancing. The workers thought our group was pretty entertaining.

Our next stop was a private tasting at Garrison Creek Cellars. This wine is fantastic. They manage a small amount of grapes so that each bottle of wine can be done right, rather than mass producing wine in the assembly line style. The result is exquisite. Each bottle sells at $63.00, but it is really hard going back to Two Buck Chuck after tasting this wine.

We tasted wine straight out of the barrel, then went upstairs to see what an extra 2 years in the barrel will do to the results. I tell you, this was dangerous. I will definitely be visiting again in a couple years to enjoy the fruits of their labor. I will stroke the glass and say to it, "I remember when you were just a little guy in a barrel. You were so sweet and delicate. Now look at you. All robust and grown up." It will be tender and weird.

There are only 5 people who work at this winery, and we met 4 of them (plus their adorable dog). That is how small the operation is.

The view driving to the winery wasn't bad either. Not bad at all.

If you are tasting in Walla Walla, this place was 5 stars in my book.

Once we were all wined out, we stopped at Graze for lunch on their patio...check out this mural...

...then we made the drive back home to take our little Everett huckleberry picking in the mountains.

He stripped these huckleberry bushes clean!

And put the berries directly in his mouth.

He kept saying, "Blueberry. Bucket. Blueberry. Bucket. YUMMMMMM!"

He had so much fun. It was the perfect way to make memories. And you guys, look at how big my baby is getting!