Full of Joy Friday | Week 19 in 2021

Fridays have quickly become my favorite blogging days – they’re an opportunity to gather up some of the joyful moments I’ve had over the week and put them all in one place. I especially love it when you, dear friends, chime in with your own observations.

“In the shapeliness of a life, habit plays its sovereign role.”
Long Life by Mary Oliver (<– I don’t think you can see it, but that’s a link!)

Collecting joy has become my chief habit each day. I’m not sure where I’d be without it thanks to the last crazy year!

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+ Thank you for all of the Mother’s Day well-wishes on Sunday. It was a lovely day but most importantly, it was also Bronwyn’s third birthday! She brings us all so much joy every day that it’s impossible to write about in this space. She had her three year well child visit on Monday and was very brave. She even spoke to her nurse practitioner, which she’s usually too shy to do.

+ It was so quiet this weekend and on Monday, thanks to the lack of internet. There were the typical squabbles between the siblings and several loud autism meltdowns, but it was all surprisingly easy to take without a blaring television in the background. I’m glad it’s back because I’m slowly catching up on reading blogs and writing for my own and I’m thinking of ways to recapture the lack of extra noise.

+ Colton was able to return to his treatment center yesterday instead of a full 10 day quarantine, whew! He was sick over the weekend and earlier this week, but they’re back to asking for just 24 hours without symptoms rather than a full quarantine. I understand and support quarantines and I’m so thankful that Colton doesn’t have to go through a fourth round of it. He has marked regressions when he misses so much treatment and it’s stressful on everyone, especially him.

+ I have fallen in love with Thriftbooks. I love buying the kids’ books in hardcover and most of the time it’s so much more affordable to get them this way. I recently ordered Bread and Jam for Frances (in hardcover!) which I’m excited about. It looks so cozy!

+ I am in the thick of planning next year’s homeschool. There’s curricula to research, purchase, print, and bind – it’s such a fun process and a lot of work. I’m so excited for the new Dart titles to be released on June 1st! I’ve wanted to use the Brave Writer curriculum for several years but I didn’t think we were ready for it yet… and now I think we are! Julie Bogart – the creator of Brave Writer – is my homeschooling guru. I love her.

+ We bought rubber stoppers for Colton’s bed so he can’t move it anymore. That means we can put his curtains back up, which he kept pulling down since he could position his bed under them. And maybe with his light-blocking curtains back up, he’ll be able to sleep a little better? That’s always the wild card. Sleep and autism don’t go well together!

+ On Wednesday I shared the wrong link for the Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken – this is the correct one!

+ There was a special Covid vaccination drive in Philadelphia for people with autism. This article made me cry – to see so many families facing similar challenges. It helps. And it also made me feel hopeful to know that so many people understand our unique situation and how challenging it can be to even wait in a line. I had no idea that the Eagles Autism Foundation existed and it looks like they’re doing some wonderful work!

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I’m planning to be back on Sunday with one more Wendell Berry poem – I finished his collection earlier this week. Until then – please! I’d love to hear where you’ve found joy lately!