Status Update: Overwhelmed, But In a Good Way

I made up a new word at dinner a few weeks ago. Defleated. It's a combination of deflated, depleted and defeated, and it's aptly summed up the recent period for me. I have had so much going on that there hasn't been enough of me left for blogging, which always makes me a bit crazy (or "cray" as Hannah would say). So here's a random update post to catch you up.

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My most exciting writing outside of here at BSB was having my LTYM piece published over at The Mid. It's called "The Geology of Motherhood," and I really hope you'll click over and give it a read. It's still incredibly validating to see my words published elsewhere, and exciting to receive a bit of money for them too. I love the fact that something I came up with completely on my own is resonant enough that more people get to read it and connect with it. Here at BSB, I recently passed 200K pageviews, which is pretty cool too. A good portion of them are probably robots though, but if you're not a robot and have been reading along, thank you. So many personal bloggers seem to be quitting lately (or taking an extended break for summer), and I'm always bummed to see that, because I love reading blogs almost as much as I love writing my own (maybe more, since I read everyday, and only write very so often). So I appreciate you sticking with me if you're here, and if you're a blogger, maybe I'll see you next month at BlogHer15? I'll be looking for the other non-sponsored types to have a "what the hell are we doing here" breakdown with me.

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If you follow me on Instagram (why not start now?) you've been seeing my almost daily updates on the main disruption delight happening all around me right now: the renovation to our house. I keep wanting to write a post on it, titled "Renovate Me, Baby" but this will have to do. We're adding a two story addition on the back of the house, which included a new foundation for that section. The main goal is to add bathrooms to the single one we have now, and so we're adding a half bath on the first floor and a master bath on the second. Hannah is moving into our current master bedroom when she gets home from camp later this summer, and Marc and I will be getting a new room with a walk-in closet. We're also moving the laundry to the first floor from the basement, replacing lots of windows, and putting in a new heating and cooling system (shout out to my window AC unit that is serving me well for the SIXTEENTH summer--that is, if it ever gets warm again here). It's a huge project, we're currently six weeks into it, and no, I don't know when it'll end. Our team has been working very fast, I think, and we're really thrilled with everything so far. But it's disruptive and time-consuming and I feel like I'm playing human Tetris as we try to reconfigure all of the stuff in our house into the remaining spaces. It's all an amazing wonderful thing though, and I know we're going to fall in love with our house all over again when it's done. Here's how things look right now:

Did I mention my window seat? I'm so going to blog from that window seat.

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We've started to do more to plan Hannah's bat mitzvah, which is about 18 months away now. I'm already overwhelmed thinking about it, though not about all of the specific aspects of that day itself. I get the "I can't believe we're here already" overwhelm. She's finishing elementary school later this month, going to middle school in the fall. She's done with our synagogue's version of Hebrew school. She's going to read from the Torah for the first time at family services soon. She's acting in another play this weekend and she's on Pinterest and she's got braces and her social calendar reflects how in demand she is. And she's awesome--though she'd probably tell me I can ditch the punctuation here, because it's all too formal for her, before she texts you "gtg" (that's "got to go" for the uninitiated). I'm not usually the "my baby" type, but it's hitting me hard lately, and I don't know how I'll hold back the tears when the 5th grade sings "Don't Stop Believin'" at their concert next week.

Hannah and me before "Pitch Perfect 2"

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Fortunately, Max is still very much a seven year old boy. He's growing by leaps and bounds, but I still know so much of what is to come for him. Though I didn't expect this new style of dressing he's rocking these days, with an open-front button-down short-sleeved shirt on top of his t-shirt, accompanied by his fedora. He was very excited to have Hannah and me attend his end of the year French class play, in which he played a pirate searching for treasure and candy, but all in French. Thankfully the acting was so good that I could understand it without subtitles. ;) He continues to work on his beat-boxing as well, especially with an after school teacher who has taught him some more specific techniques, including how to "solo," meaning making sounds from three different instruments in a pattern. And he's looking forward to this year's Color Day at school, since last year he had a broken wrist at the time. He's had a great year, and I'm excited to start spending Tuesday afternoons with him next year.

Max at the bus stop, wearing a vintage Red Sox shirt to boot.

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I have a new niece! My brother Ryan and sister-in-law Allison welcomed Sara Gloria to the world at the end of May. She's completely adorable and I've fallen in love over FaceTime. I'm going out there to meet her at the end of June, and I can't wait to meet her in person.

Welcome to the world, Sara!

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My post-LASIK eyes are doing really well. I went back to the doctor just this morning, and I'm seeing well and still can't quite get over how wonderful it is to see without glasses or contacts. Even the simple act of reading a book at the end of the day is easier. The doctor said I might not need reading glasses until I'm 50, so I'm recording that here for posterity and hoping it really stays that way.

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I'm still really liking clothing rental service Gwynnie Bee. I'm in no way compensated by them, so this isn't a plug, it's just me telling you about something I've enjoyed. I get new clothes just about weekly, since I'm pretty good about sending back things quickly if I don't like them or they don't fit. I've bought a couple things, and have worn others once or twice before sending them back. But mostly, I don't seem to hanker to shop as much. Adding things to my virtual closet is enough, and I don't seem to spend as much time shopping online (and therefore, less buying too!). Wanna try it out? Click on this to get started.

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Phew. I feel like we're caught up now. How have you been? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!