We had a good, quick week. We had time with friends, completed lots of tasks around the house, and enjoyed each other’s company. Not much was different or new and overall a good week. I’m pretty wiped out for some reason, so I’m going to keep this short. But next week will be what I’ve learned from President Nelson’s time as the prophet of the Lord. I’ve been reading the conference talks he has shared since his time as the President of the church and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned. I still have a little bit to go and his birthday is Sept 9, so we’ll save that post for next week.
For sake of my record, I did host book club this week on the book, “Anxious People.” I went into reading that book thinking it was a self-help or informational book about the anxiety epidemic we seem to be facing in this day and age, and while it addresses it indirectly, it was an entertaining read that lead to a lot of discussion. We did mention that the characters were a little too over the top to be relatable, but at the same time, the parody to their characters allowed for more self-reflection, recognizing that as absurd as some of the characters are, we aren’t all that different. It’s a lovely read that I would recommend for anyone interested in character-study type books.
I’m currently reading two books: King of Scars, by Leigh Bardugo and Rivals, by Katharine McGee. Both are fiction books and just for entertainment, but one is an audio book and the other is by my bedside. I will probably read another non-fiction or self-help fairly soon, but I’m enjoying the reprieve and escapism these books offer. Not that I have anything to escape; I feel very blessed. I have a wonderful family and we are very comfortable, but at the end of the day, it is nice to open up a fluff book and set aside any worries I have about my kids or siblings and just relax before trying to shut off my brain. I’ve been focusing a lot on sleep health. I am improving my own but it has been a slow process. With a 6 AM wakeup, I have to be shutting my eyes by 9:45 to get to sleep in time to get 8 hours. It has proven to be a more challenging task than I thought it would be. Between evening sports and other events (like book club or pickleball), I don’t always get the needed wind down time, which as a mother, I think we all agree, is pretty essential. But I’m working on it!
With all the older kids at school all day, Harvey and I have found more time to hang out. We’ve painted, done chalk, read books, and more. 
Elementary school had picture day on Thursday. This is the outfit Bev picked out all on her own. 
This little girl and her dog. They love to run back up the steep hill after dropping off Max.