Setting the Record Straight

I still have postpartum depression. It will probably stick around until I wean my baby.
But my life is functional again.
This summer life was not. I barely ate, my children and husband ate a lot of cereal, I'm pretty sure I didn't buy much other than cereal and milk. I yelled a lot and we went to swim lessons. I'm not sure what else happened, screen time, lots of screen time. Oh and we folded laundry and did the dishes. But always late, the dishes always needed to be done before they were. If it wasn't for my oldest helping fold the laundry there is a good chance we would have been naked. Literally THE only chores that go done was dishes, laundry and sometimes cleaning up the toys.
Oh and we swept, I swept after breakfast and the 8 year old swept after dinner. I have a crawling infant and a crumby two year old. It was NECESSARY.
We had lots of screen time did I mention that.
(In September we deep cleaned the house, because we hadn't cleaned since June. Life was dark this summer.)

As you know, I started using aromatherapy.
I also started taking DesBio Hormone Combination  that my sister in law suggested.
And I went back to taking postpartum herbal tea that my mom mixes up for me.

Most days I'm a normal person again, I feel like myself and my older kids don't whisper about mom being super mean. I start to wean myself off so much of it, and I just do the daily essential oils. If I skip a day of essential oils everyone in my house notices.
But even when I keep up on the essential oil something happens, it varies, but something inevitably screws up my hormones, and I sky rocked down again, it takes me a few days to realize that I hate the entire world and then I pick up the last two steps again.

So yes to set the record straight yes I still have postpartum depression. But yes the essential oils have been a life saver. If it wasn't for the essential oils, a family member would have had to move in to take care of my family, because I sure as heck wouldn't be able to. Some days I feel really terrible, but other days I feel like myself again and I wonder where I have been.

Monday was a truly terrible day. Truly. Not coincidentally I got up in church on Sunday and bore my testimony about how in the darkest hours over the summer I realized the spirit had been with me all along because every so often small thoughts came to my mind, that were not my own.
Anyway back to terrible Monday. Monday was terrible, so I added back the tea because I thought I might die otherwise. (Dramatic I know, but some of you that had similar trials understand.) By Wednesday I thought, man where have I been for the last couple of weeks?

Grammy and Grandpa came

My parents came to visit for two days. It was a quick stop over but we were still glad to have them.
We started off with the big kids in school and my mom and I taking the babies to the library to feed the ducks. Who doesn't love to feed the ducks. (I live in a beautiful place.)

We were suppose to take Turbo to see an airplane. While they were in school, but our morning ran a little short. Nat has half day school and we took J out at noon.

So we ended up taking everyone. 

 This my 20 minute trip to an airplane turned into a nightmare. Oh course my oldest wanted to see the chapel.

And during this whole process everyone had to use the bathrooms at different times when the closest bathroom was 10 minutes away DRIVING. So my quick trip turned into 2 and half hours!

 But life went on, I had a melt down about pumpkins and then life really kept moving.


 With 7 children and 20+ grandkids there is no way my parents can make it to all the big events. Which is completely fine, but small kids don't always understand. So we went to the YMCA trunk or treat so my kids could go trick or treating with grammy and grandpa.
Turbo who can't remember last Halloween so he thought this was a great idea.

 Grandpa and the cute O the Owl.

 That's grammy in the demin jacket.

 They also helped us carve pumpkins.

 Turbo is holding a carving knife poking holes. We soon there after took it away.

We finished the trip off to a trip to Freddy's. I love that restaurant.

I was exhausted after they left, I can only imagine how they felt since they had to drive 13 hours.

Interest and Laundry

If you ever talked to me, you know this is not a new idea of mine.

Interest and laundry are very much the same. The laundry never sleeps, or gets sick, it works on Sundays and holidays.
The only difference between Interest and laundry is laundry goes on vacation WITH you.
Once overwhelmed with laundry it becomes your companion every minute of the day and night, you cannot shut it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss. Fail to meet its demands, it crushes you.

In case you have never heard the original quote its from President J. Reuben Clark,

Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; it never has short crops nor droughts; it never pays taxes; it buys no food; it wears no clothes; it is unhoused and without home and so has no repairs, no replacements, no shingling, plumbing, painting, or whitewashing; it has neither wife, children, father, mother, nor kinfolk to watch over and care for; it has no expense of living; it has neither weddings nor births nor deaths; it has no love, no sympathy; it is as hard and soulless as a granite cliff. Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you. (in Conference Report, Apr., 1938, p. 103.)

On Saturday I can clean and fold every piece of dirty laundry, but the time everyone is bath, ready for bed and ready to go to church the next morning, I have almost a FULL load of laundry, by the time Sunday is over I have more than one load. Sometimes it makes me want to cry. You can clean the house and go on vacation. When you get home the house is still clean, laundry not so much, not at all.

Children

10 years ago I decided I would have children for three reasons. (The entire time I was a teenager I didn't want children.)
1. I wanted to be a grandma one day, the easiest way to that path is to become a mom
2. Brent-- the love of my life could l couldn't wait to have children.
3. I had a very personal/spiritual event in which I felt like the Lord was telling me to become a mom.

I didn't have children right away for one I wasn't married to my boyfriend yet. For two I wasn't far enough in school to be a mom and graduate. Because number 2 and 3, I became a mom sooner than most expected, as in 14 months after I got married.
When motherhood gets hard I remember I'm doing it to be a grandma. I'm pretty sure that's the most awesomest job. Like a mom but fun. Like a mom with no rules. Like a mom who doesn't care if the kids are spoiled. Like a mom but the novelty. Plus no one ever whines grandma grandma grandma all day like mom. (My grandma in law use to say "mama mama mama the devil wouldn't want to be called that." I now understand the third commandment given to Moses.) Then I remember everyone wants mom when they are sad not grandma so I enjoy what I got now.

Thirty

I turned 30. It was really quite uneventful. I got a new fleece jacket and a backpack. 

 My children were invited.

 My husband and I ate Chinese food my children played on a playground.

(When I was pregnant with my third my allergies were super terrible and I wore glasses most of summer I was pregnant. Once my baby  was born I went back to contacts seamlessly. Because of lactating hormones with my fourth I've been wearing contacts ALL summer and into the fall. I'm finally just barely getting back to contacts. I've actually been wearing glasses so much they stopped bothering me, a place I haven't been in about 15.)

Spain

Did you ever hear about how Brent and I were planning to move to Spain for a year?
It probably won't happen.
I really wish it was going to happen. I really think we needed to plan to move to Spain, at least dream about it. But I really don't think it is going to happen.
There is a possibility we could go to the UK. I really really really want that to happen. My husband doesn't sound too sure of that possibility.
Years ago we heavily looked into him doing his MBA in Costa Rica. I wasn't as thrilled about Costa Rica because I wasn't done having babies and I didn't want to have babies in foreign countries. I was born abroad and it is kind of a hassle.
Apparently we have a great desire to live abroad. Let's hope one day it happens.

Skeleton Babies

I think my children are beyond adorable but they don't take the best of pictures so no one would know. At least I bought the baby boys skeleton shirts!