I got off social media a week ago (except for Facebook which I only ever use for Marketplace and group things) because my brain was melting out of my ears.

I was noticing my ADD getting really bad - executive dysfunction, anxiety, spiraling thoughts, and task overwhelm. I knew it was entirely related to the time I was spending on social media. I was DEEEEEEEP in the doomscroll whirlpool. TikTok. NPR. Instagram. Repeat. Hear this take. That take. Respond. Post my thoughts. Hear back.

In the real world, I take care of two small girls, run a household, and live my life. Social media was a cumulonimbus cloud dumping heavy thoughts over all of that, and I was so busy squeezing water out of my hair that everything else was suffering, but most especially, my mind was.

Since bidding farewell to that sphere for the foreseeable future…..

I felt instant clarity. I felt like an overblown & poorly tuned radio had been shut off nearby.

My days lengthened by 3-4 hours, or so it seemed! I’ve started reading books again. I’ve started WRITING a book. I call and text people. By the end of a week I realized I don’t have an adequate system in place that gets me enough in-person adult interaction, because WOOF - I got lonely quickly. I had no idea how much I keep to myself and fail to make friends simply because I fill that need with online interactions! By day 6 I was crying, just feeling absolutely gutted that Weston had to leave for the weekend.

I quickly reinstalled Facebook (which, again, I never use anymore) so I could find some walking buddies and join a playdate group. It’s time to make some friends here!

And finally, a little over a week after the big cleanse, I have decided to follow in my mother’s footsteps and do a weekly blog to document my life and share the things we are doing. I absolutely adore reading my mother’s blog every week - even when I was THERE and KNOW what happened!

The comfort level of this fuzzy blanket must be off the charts if it coaxes Abigail into a nap!

On Sunday I was sustained as the second counselor in the Young Women’s presidency. Weston was called as the assistant Financial Clerk. I got to know our darling Young Women - 4 out of the 7 were in attendance - and one of them had a beautiful blanket wrapped around her. When I complimented it, she told me it belonged to her sister, who passed away in a car accident nearly a month ago. I cannot imagine such a devastating loss. I’m honored to be working with these girls; each of them is stronger than I ever had to be at their age.

On Monday I spent hours (HOURS!!!!) sorting through the avalanche of reference material left to me by the previous art teacher whose job I took when she retired. I had to update my family as I dug through the mountain. A good 50% or more of it was unusable “whoops” photos - badly cropped photo prints, blurry screenshots, watermarked Google Image searches… I can’t have my kids wasting time sorting through all that just to find something good!

200 Cardinals, 400 wood ducks. We probably don’t need that many.

40% of the way through the material. Piles on piles. My brain went partially numb by the end of this.

I was too terrified of this one to throw it away. Good girl, Precious.

After hours of sorting, and 5 MASSIVE stacks of photos (each as big as my hand could hold) thrown into the trash, I ended up with a neat little box of beautiful reference photos. The kids in my art classes the next day (Tuesday) were thrilled.

Tuesdays are our crazy days. My boss, Janice, is the woman whose AirBnB Weston stayed in during his final Optometry rotation earlier this year. She’s an amazing woman. She runs a tutoring center out of a tiny church here in Stonewall, which helps the church (whose membership is dwindling) and helps her, with lower rent. She organized all of my classes to be in one afternoon so I don’t have to pay for as much childcare for Gwen.

So on Tuesdays: Gwen and I eat lunch and I drive her up to Shreveport and drop her off at daycare. I teach a class full of homeschooled kids at 1pm - from 6 years old up to 15 years old. Then I go hop into the car pickup line at Abby’s school, usually with a drink and a snack in hand from Sonic (our one and only fast food place here in Stonewall). At 3 we arrive back at the church and I set her up with a snack and some tablet time while I set up for my 3:30 class, which only has one student in it! I enjoy being one on one. More students may join the class at some point; Janice found all my students for me, and she is always rounding up more. Then I teach one more class at 4:30, with after school kids. Everyone is always ravenous. The tutoring center has snacks and drinks, and sometimes I’ll bake something for those hungry kids too. Weston picks Gwen up from daycare when he gets off work at 5, and Abby and I get home after I’ve cleaned up my supplies, usually around 6.

Tuesdays are fun and fulfilling, but so exhausting! I am usually trashed on Wednesdays.

I’m working with Gwen on her letters so she can learn to read soon. She enjoyed writing the letters in salt, and I enjoyed having a robotic vacuum to help with cleanup!

Gwen is on a Harry Potter kick lately. She found the Halloween costumes in the Costco magazine that came in the mail, and now she knows what she wants to be!

Gwen’s current obsession is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. She will talk your ear off about the “Harry Potter baby” (in other words, Harry as a baby getting left on his aunt & uncle’s doorstep) and everything she draws has Hogwarts as the main subject or in the background.

And finally, I treated myself to this JUICY set of gouache paint from Amazon (I’m not a rep or anything, I don’t get compensated for linking Amazon products). I can’t believe it’s only $24 for paints this vibrant. The paints come wet and creamy in jelly cups, like colorful Chick-fil-a sauce. I joked with my sister in law Amy that Van Gogh would have dipped a nugget or two.

Gouache is like watercolor, but it’s opaque like acrylic. It can be re-wetted so it’s very forgiving in terms of waste and reuse, but I’ve never painted with it in a creamy state before. Life. Changed.

I haven’t had the chance to paint anything else yet, but I am so excited. I knew the girls would be excited, too, with those juicy colors just waiting for fingers to be dipped in.

So to pop the balloon of curiosity, I sat them down, gave them dots of the paint, and let them experiment with the new medium.

I tried to coach them not to grab the entire glob of paint and use up an entire color at once. Both of them followed my advice… to a point.

Abby didn’t mix any of her colors together. Gwen mixed all of her colors together. (and painted Hogwarts)

Weston went down to New Orleans this weekend to help with relief from Hurricane Ida. He arrived home this afternoon, sunburned, exhausted, and ravenous for homemade Chinese food.

Have a fun and safe week, y’all!

Oh shoot, that’s a Texas thing. I need to switch to Louisiana’s goodbye.

Have a blessed day! Praised be the Lord for another week!