book time with Grandpa Sieren...

I had to give some air-time to my dad "grandpa Sieren". He is tickled by all the new things Adam shows him when my parents come to visit. This was a little reading time with Adam's new "favorite" book. He knows where his belly button is and where your nose is...so don't get your face too close and say "nose" or he'll be more than willing to show you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Invisible Load of Motherhood is Real...and I'm Burnt Out!

Image
The invisible load of motherhood is real (google it...it's a thing!).  It's more than just managing the  endless list of tasks that keep a household running; it’s the emotional and mental energy of remembering, planning, organizing, and making decisions for everyone in the family. This load falls disproportionately on the default parent (typically the mom), leaving us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched thin - wondering which way is up! Over the past fifteen years, life has been a whirlwind. Kids' activities, work demands, and major life changes — new jobs, selling our first home, navigating a global pandemic, virtual school, living with in-laws, moving into a new home, and even surviving a derecho. There was no space or energy to create routines or structure. I was constantly reacting, saying "yes" to everything while ignoring my own needs. The busier life got, the more I felt stuck in survival mode—just putting one foot in front of the other to get thr...
Read more

Letting Go of Guilt and Rediscovering Myself (With a Side of ADHD)

Image
After deciding to start counseling in December 2023, my therapist encouraged me to take things a step further. In July 2024, at 44 years old, I was officially diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). What I've learned in the past few months is that ADHD affects executive functioning — making planning, organizing, time management, and staying focused much harder. It often looks different in girls and women, who tend to experience Inattentive ADHD more than Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD. While boys may exhibit physical hyperactivity, women are more likely to struggle internally — with focus, memory, organization, and regulating their thoughts and emotions. Suddenly, my whole life made sense. Since childhood, I’ve always known that something felt different about how I functioned. I loved school, but I constantly procrastinated and left assignments until the last minute — somehow thriving under the pressure. I was quick on my feet and good at finding solutions witho...
Read more

Life’s Wake-Up Call – A Season of Grief and Change

Image
This year’s self-care journey deepened through two heartbreaking losses. In February, my dad passed away after years of battling health issues that began with a stroke in 2013. His passing shifted my focus on supporting and housing my mom, while she navigated her "new" normal without him, while also managing her own health challenges.   Then, just six months later, we lost my mother-in-law. Those back-to-back losses hit me hard, leaving me emotionally drained and feeling like I had hit rock bottom.  In the midst of my grief, I did what I’ve always done: I suppressed my own emotions and needs to care for those around me.  I poured my energy into holding space for everyone else’s needs, leaving no room for my own. But through hard conversations with my counselor, I opened my eyes to some hard truths: if I wanted to heal, I needed to start showing up for myself, not just for others. Through this process, I began to understand why I had ignored my own needs for so l...
Read more