Y’all, I’m doing it, actually posting on the Substack!
I’m with Amanda S, with the whole selling out house thing. But our friends just told us they they officially want to buy it...so yay for a good way to close out April break!
Long day at work today and I am TIRED. But! I have this minute emailed the lead vet for the city about picking up shifts at the shelter. Working with city shelters can be hit or miss, but I've heard good things about the vet and I'm not advertising a large time commitment, so I'm hopeful. I am so much happier now than I was in my old job/town, but the downside has been some increased financial pressure, especially since I gave up a really good benefits package, so I'm hoping this works out.
I still have a flight credit from my doomed 2020 trip, but I have to book by September to use it by the end of the year. So I'm thinking about using it to take the doomed 2020 trip to Scotland and London. The flight is already paid for, and what's a savings account for anyway?
For my fellow music nerds: did you know that Bob Dylan had a radio show on satellite radio in the mid-2000s? Some enterprising citizen of the internet has collected all the episodes here: http://www.themetimeradio.com/
Y’all this week has been one wild ride. Can it be May now? I’d like to take a moment to thank Erin Moon for introducing me to Anne Helen Peterson - I adore her work. I’d already read that article because I subscribe to her newsletter. I’d love to be a paid subscriber but if I paid everyone I love I would have no money and my children need shoes.
My almost five year old has not conquered nighttime sleep training and it has been a week full of accidents and sheet washing and everyone is so tired. I have a job interview today for a position that I would’ve jumped at if I didn’t love what I’m doing now. I’m going into the interview with very mixed feelings and trying to hold onto my belief that it will all work out the way it’s supposed to. Also my almost five year old will be in kindergarten next year and I’m not okay.
Treasures- a truly delightful meeting with fellow nerdy musicians this morning. A great book for my own personal BOTM club - membership of 1. Some family fun planned this weekend- tonight is pizza and a movie and I’m thrilled. Now I’m going to go read everyone else’s stories for the week😊
Good morning Lil swipes! I missed a couple of Fridays, so it is so nice to be back. 😌
I have a couple of turds today, but I’m designing to share only the most ridiculous one:
🏚 While on a walk near my apartment I saw a boring 70s tract home for sale and made the mistake of looking up how much it’s on the market for. Almost $800,000(!!) for a boring-ass, basic house in a not great neighborhood. Also this is the cheapest thing for sale in my town, so I got a little Stressy Depressy™️. (here’s the link, if you want to feel better/worse about the housing market in your particular area compared to Los Angeles County lol https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1019-E-Wingate-St-Covina-CA-91724/21547169_zpid/?utm_source=txtshare)
🗺 My husband and I are starting to book fun Airbnb experiences for our Europe trip at the end of May! If you have any fun suggestions / things that you have enjoyed doing in London, Dublin, or Rome, please drop them below! I’ve been to all three cities before (but my husband hasn’t), and I am always down to try fun suggestions! 🥳
👗 Speaking of our trip, I have a good friend who is a photographer based in Germany, and she is going to meet us in Tuscany and do an anniversary photoshoot with us on my birthday! That might be the most magical sentence I’ve ever said in my life. 🥰 Buuuuut I am struggling to find a dress, for said shoot. I’ve bought a couple new things from Madewell (that I didn’t love), but this TikTok perfectly describes the fashion conundrum I am facing (why is everything smocked???) https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdXKhuxo/
Anyway, if you have any stores that you typically shop to find a good dress, please let me know!
Okay, hoping you all have the loveliest Friday available to you. 😘
The Shrek quote. Nearly did a spit take. This has been a week for the books for me. My boyfriend's family was in town all weekend for Easter and on Sunday night, he went all weekend warrior and torn his Achilles trying to leg out a inpark home run at 40....
Anyways, his mom extended her ticket and decided not only to clean and rearrange his condo but also throw away a bunch of stuff of his without his knowledge... I need to cap my frustration as he's not upset so I need to get a hold of myself.
So surgery was yesterday and it went well. Except now his sister his mom is staying with tested positive for COVID! So his mom was going to "watch" him today but I'm not comfortable with them being around him. They are all convinced it's a false positive... and around. I just plopped my but down and worked until they left. Part of me felt petty and part of me was like please take COVID seriously esp for a post-surgical person!
Also, did anyone else how was larger boobs try on 15 million Easter dresses that "are stylish" and find that they do not work if you have boobs??
Okay enough with the turds: I gave up reading fiction for Lent so treasure was reading my first novel again. Another treasure continues to be pictures of babies from boyfriend's siblings (ones not here causing me issues). And for the trifecta - finding out everyone else at work feel like they aren't being allowed to do their job either.
Good morning!! Erin, the Shrek tweet GOT ME. He will now forever be my summertime grinch.
Treasures:
- you may or may not remember from last week’s comment that my friend Amanda has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer. She had her PET scan this week and the cancer has not yet spread beyond her colon and liver, which is where we already knew it was. Weird how “good news” becomes relative in cancer land, but that was definitely the best available outcome right now.
- I have, of course, become a PMG Evangelist in the last year or so, and have successfully gotten my good friend Jacob to join this circus, and he just became a Lil Swipe this week! Hiiiii Jacob (will he see this? it’s a test) Really fun to share something I love with a local friend.
- the new iPhone emojis are so fun! 🫠🫶🏻🥹
Turds:
- We have a “stuck” spot at work right now and making the decision of what to do with the thing that’s not working is really wearing me out. For the Office fans out there, I feel think of that episode where they have to work late on reports or whatever and Kelly screams “I’M DYINGGG!!” every time we have to talk about it 🤪
✝️I’ve been using the Lectio 365 App for 2 years as an integral part of connecting with God. There’s a beautiful brief morning and evening prayer you are lead through. On the nights I was struggling with terror over my cancer diagnosis, the gentle evening prayers helped calm me and lull me to sleep. https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/
🎵This spotify playlist is a family fav. Great for dancing in the kitchen while making dinner - or as it is aptly named ‘It’s Sunday morning and you’re making breakfast.’
On Monday, I will have my 10th of 16 doses of chemotherapy. There are little hairs trying to grow on my bald head and I had enough energy to clean a closet yesterday! Things are looking up. I will have 6 weeks of radiation everyday after chemo and then hopefully will have a scan that shows Chuck the tumor has indeed been killed. I met a fellow mom who is navigating colon cancer. These friends you make in oncology are like war buddies. You bond very quickly. So if you are a praying type, please add both of us -Jill and Candis to your list and our families who are walking this road with us. 🧡
That candle blower outers got me. Brene Brown crushes it once again. Such solid advice and a great way to talk to kids about friendships and boundaries. Definitely will be using that, since my older kids are right around the corner from friendships changing.
Erin, my girl is in Frozen next week! (Elsa!! ❄️) I’ll be with you in solidarity on those cold metal folding chairs. 😂
Super happy to report that baby girl made her appearance! Paislee Praise was born on Easter Sunday at 1:53am. She came in at a whopping 9lb 13oz and 21in long. She has chunky cheeks, wrist rolls, and we can’t get enough of her! I wish there was a way to post a picture! Labor and delivery were fast (less then 3 hours from the start of Pitocin to her being earthside 😳). Had a scary couple of hours after delivery due to bleeding, and a tough conversation with my midwife that it’s probably safest that this is my last baby. 🧡 But healing well and feeling good! Knowing she’s my last also puts postpartum and newborn life in a different light, so it’s been a lot more enjoyable experience so far.
I know probably no one in the world besides me ever uses Pandora anymore , BUT...their Shania Twain radio station is *chef's kiss*. Struggling with my motivation today, probably because my to do list is too big and I stayed up too late finishing a book last night. (We Were the Lucky Ones. WWII fiction. Really good, but intense. A choice for my IRL book club, or I might not have chosen this moment in time to read it).
Two Fridays off in a row! Erin, you know your a mom when you’re plotting/planning ways to get even with a second grader because they are mean to your kid!
I feel like our flamingo matching Easter outfits were successful. Now trying to think of more matching holiday outfits. Firecracker Fourth of July? Turkey tops for thanksgiving? Christmas couture for Christmas Eve?
I recently purchased 15 pairs of the same style of earrings, one in each color except white. For some reason I purchased two of the white pairs. I was sleepy when I did this; still trying to work out why. Work has been slightly frustrating. Two of my clients have VERY unrealistic expectations and do not understand that I cannot read minds and also not magical. I cannot make something from nothing.
Random kid quotes of the week:
“What I have to do my own laundry? Since when?!” ~Chandler (aka Megs daughter) Also she’s been doing her own laundry for a whole year! She acts surprised every time her laundry day rolls around!
“Momma, wanna see my penis dance?” ~Waylon. No thanks, I’ll pass.
“Momma, I peed my bed. You can clean it and my room. Make it sparkle!” ~Hank. Sure, I’ll get right on that!
We are heading to the beach today and I’m so excited!!!
I showed my coworker the Harry and Shania video to which he said "I think I've heard those names before" 😭
I don't even know what's happened this week... just trying to get projects done and get through.
🎂Thanks for all of the kind birthday wishes here and on IG, it was a lovely day complete with this delightful conversation with some children at church. The boldness with which kids speak is both delightful and baffling.
kid 1: "Wow, that's cool that you and Owen were born so close together!"
me: "Well, he's 8 and I'm 30, so we weren't born that close together."
Kid 2, 4yo sister of Owen: "Are you going to die?"
🛋 I'm getting an almost brand new free couch tomorrow! I've tripled the amount of furniture I've owned in a month.
OK, here I am at almost 59 ALSO cherishing Brene Brown's "candle blower outers" video. Erin, so sorry your girls are in the midst of friend drama.....and never in a million years thought I'd be in it at this age. And with someone I thought was a dear friend who I met AT CHURCH! and it happens. And what we do with it is up to us, like the Sharon Hodde Miller tweet you also posted. If anyone needs an "atta girl" or a leftover Dove Milk or Dark Chocolate Easter egg today b/c of mean candle snuffers, feel this virtual hug. You're awesome. And your hair looks FABULOUS today!! Erin, please send Moana pics!!
Happy Friday! I survived covid/flu #swipesflu but it was totally worth it. I’d risk it to spend in-person time with Swipes again in a heartbeat.
Regarding youths and shopping malls, a local mall just enacted a 2pm curfew on the weekends so everyone under 18 has to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Now the young folks will really need that explanation of what malls are!
I hadn’t really listened to Harry Styles before this week but after that Coachella performance, I’m on board.
I’m off to Disney World for the quickest trip this weekend, and I’ve got the latest Cinema Sidepiece queued up for the plane.
Y’all, I’m doing it, actually posting on the Substack!
I’m with Amanda S, with the whole selling out house thing. But our friends just told us they they officially want to buy it...so yay for a good way to close out April break!
Long day at work today and I am TIRED. But! I have this minute emailed the lead vet for the city about picking up shifts at the shelter. Working with city shelters can be hit or miss, but I've heard good things about the vet and I'm not advertising a large time commitment, so I'm hopeful. I am so much happier now than I was in my old job/town, but the downside has been some increased financial pressure, especially since I gave up a really good benefits package, so I'm hoping this works out.
I still have a flight credit from my doomed 2020 trip, but I have to book by September to use it by the end of the year. So I'm thinking about using it to take the doomed 2020 trip to Scotland and London. The flight is already paid for, and what's a savings account for anyway?
For my fellow music nerds: did you know that Bob Dylan had a radio show on satellite radio in the mid-2000s? Some enterprising citizen of the internet has collected all the episodes here: http://www.themetimeradio.com/
Y’all this week has been one wild ride. Can it be May now? I’d like to take a moment to thank Erin Moon for introducing me to Anne Helen Peterson - I adore her work. I’d already read that article because I subscribe to her newsletter. I’d love to be a paid subscriber but if I paid everyone I love I would have no money and my children need shoes.
My almost five year old has not conquered nighttime sleep training and it has been a week full of accidents and sheet washing and everyone is so tired. I have a job interview today for a position that I would’ve jumped at if I didn’t love what I’m doing now. I’m going into the interview with very mixed feelings and trying to hold onto my belief that it will all work out the way it’s supposed to. Also my almost five year old will be in kindergarten next year and I’m not okay.
Treasures- a truly delightful meeting with fellow nerdy musicians this morning. A great book for my own personal BOTM club - membership of 1. Some family fun planned this weekend- tonight is pizza and a movie and I’m thrilled. Now I’m going to go read everyone else’s stories for the week😊
Good morning Lil swipes! I missed a couple of Fridays, so it is so nice to be back. 😌
I have a couple of turds today, but I’m designing to share only the most ridiculous one:
🏚 While on a walk near my apartment I saw a boring 70s tract home for sale and made the mistake of looking up how much it’s on the market for. Almost $800,000(!!) for a boring-ass, basic house in a not great neighborhood. Also this is the cheapest thing for sale in my town, so I got a little Stressy Depressy™️. (here’s the link, if you want to feel better/worse about the housing market in your particular area compared to Los Angeles County lol https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1019-E-Wingate-St-Covina-CA-91724/21547169_zpid/?utm_source=txtshare)
🗺 My husband and I are starting to book fun Airbnb experiences for our Europe trip at the end of May! If you have any fun suggestions / things that you have enjoyed doing in London, Dublin, or Rome, please drop them below! I’ve been to all three cities before (but my husband hasn’t), and I am always down to try fun suggestions! 🥳
👗 Speaking of our trip, I have a good friend who is a photographer based in Germany, and she is going to meet us in Tuscany and do an anniversary photoshoot with us on my birthday! That might be the most magical sentence I’ve ever said in my life. 🥰 Buuuuut I am struggling to find a dress, for said shoot. I’ve bought a couple new things from Madewell (that I didn’t love), but this TikTok perfectly describes the fashion conundrum I am facing (why is everything smocked???) https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdXKhuxo/
Anyway, if you have any stores that you typically shop to find a good dress, please let me know!
Okay, hoping you all have the loveliest Friday available to you. 😘
The Shrek quote. Nearly did a spit take. This has been a week for the books for me. My boyfriend's family was in town all weekend for Easter and on Sunday night, he went all weekend warrior and torn his Achilles trying to leg out a inpark home run at 40....
Anyways, his mom extended her ticket and decided not only to clean and rearrange his condo but also throw away a bunch of stuff of his without his knowledge... I need to cap my frustration as he's not upset so I need to get a hold of myself.
So surgery was yesterday and it went well. Except now his sister his mom is staying with tested positive for COVID! So his mom was going to "watch" him today but I'm not comfortable with them being around him. They are all convinced it's a false positive... and around. I just plopped my but down and worked until they left. Part of me felt petty and part of me was like please take COVID seriously esp for a post-surgical person!
Also, did anyone else how was larger boobs try on 15 million Easter dresses that "are stylish" and find that they do not work if you have boobs??
Okay enough with the turds: I gave up reading fiction for Lent so treasure was reading my first novel again. Another treasure continues to be pictures of babies from boyfriend's siblings (ones not here causing me issues). And for the trifecta - finding out everyone else at work feel like they aren't being allowed to do their job either.
Good morning!! Erin, the Shrek tweet GOT ME. He will now forever be my summertime grinch.
Treasures:
- you may or may not remember from last week’s comment that my friend Amanda has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer. She had her PET scan this week and the cancer has not yet spread beyond her colon and liver, which is where we already knew it was. Weird how “good news” becomes relative in cancer land, but that was definitely the best available outcome right now.
- I have, of course, become a PMG Evangelist in the last year or so, and have successfully gotten my good friend Jacob to join this circus, and he just became a Lil Swipe this week! Hiiiii Jacob (will he see this? it’s a test) Really fun to share something I love with a local friend.
- the new iPhone emojis are so fun! 🫠🫶🏻🥹
Turds:
- We have a “stuck” spot at work right now and making the decision of what to do with the thing that’s not working is really wearing me out. For the Office fans out there, I feel think of that episode where they have to work late on reports or whatever and Kelly screams “I’M DYINGGG!!” every time we have to talk about it 🤪
Good Morning! Let’s get right to the good stuff:
📺 Brene Brown’s whole series, Atlas of the Heart, on HBOMax is 10/10 https://brenebrown.com/hbo-max-presents-brene-brown-atlas-of-the-heart/
📖 For a boost to your creativity, read this short book, Naming the Animals by Stephen Roach https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57280574-naming-the-animals
🧁My daughter and I made these muffins yesterday and they are delish. We subbed strawberries, strawberry yogurt, and strawberry jam for blueberries 🫐 https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/blueberry-vanilla-crunch-muffins/
🎨 I love this painting series on Magnolia. She is a gentle soul with easy painting techniques. https://magnolia.com/watch/show/9f110886-e88e-539d-8ef8-eb6d2a72a844/art-in-bloom-with-helen-dealtry/
✝️I’ve been using the Lectio 365 App for 2 years as an integral part of connecting with God. There’s a beautiful brief morning and evening prayer you are lead through. On the nights I was struggling with terror over my cancer diagnosis, the gentle evening prayers helped calm me and lull me to sleep. https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/
🎵This spotify playlist is a family fav. Great for dancing in the kitchen while making dinner - or as it is aptly named ‘It’s Sunday morning and you’re making breakfast.’
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bd0ipXd9xJWK40syhLpfc?si=_Z3m9M7dTXKPpfSyc2JdHg
On Monday, I will have my 10th of 16 doses of chemotherapy. There are little hairs trying to grow on my bald head and I had enough energy to clean a closet yesterday! Things are looking up. I will have 6 weeks of radiation everyday after chemo and then hopefully will have a scan that shows Chuck the tumor has indeed been killed. I met a fellow mom who is navigating colon cancer. These friends you make in oncology are like war buddies. You bond very quickly. So if you are a praying type, please add both of us -Jill and Candis to your list and our families who are walking this road with us. 🧡
I need Chuck, bless him, to understand that if we had "safe soul friends," we would not be on the bird app hellsite. Lol ;P
Happy Friday fellow Swipes!
That candle blower outers got me. Brene Brown crushes it once again. Such solid advice and a great way to talk to kids about friendships and boundaries. Definitely will be using that, since my older kids are right around the corner from friendships changing.
Erin, my girl is in Frozen next week! (Elsa!! ❄️) I’ll be with you in solidarity on those cold metal folding chairs. 😂
Super happy to report that baby girl made her appearance! Paislee Praise was born on Easter Sunday at 1:53am. She came in at a whopping 9lb 13oz and 21in long. She has chunky cheeks, wrist rolls, and we can’t get enough of her! I wish there was a way to post a picture! Labor and delivery were fast (less then 3 hours from the start of Pitocin to her being earthside 😳). Had a scary couple of hours after delivery due to bleeding, and a tough conversation with my midwife that it’s probably safest that this is my last baby. 🧡 But healing well and feeling good! Knowing she’s my last also puts postpartum and newborn life in a different light, so it’s been a lot more enjoyable experience so far.
I can’t wait to see what you all are up to!
Just came here to say the “pharaoh, pharaoh” tweet really got me. I’ll be laughing about that one all day
I know probably no one in the world besides me ever uses Pandora anymore , BUT...their Shania Twain radio station is *chef's kiss*. Struggling with my motivation today, probably because my to do list is too big and I stayed up too late finishing a book last night. (We Were the Lucky Ones. WWII fiction. Really good, but intense. A choice for my IRL book club, or I might not have chosen this moment in time to read it).
Bye, lovelies!
Good morning!
Two Fridays off in a row! Erin, you know your a mom when you’re plotting/planning ways to get even with a second grader because they are mean to your kid!
I feel like our flamingo matching Easter outfits were successful. Now trying to think of more matching holiday outfits. Firecracker Fourth of July? Turkey tops for thanksgiving? Christmas couture for Christmas Eve?
I recently purchased 15 pairs of the same style of earrings, one in each color except white. For some reason I purchased two of the white pairs. I was sleepy when I did this; still trying to work out why. Work has been slightly frustrating. Two of my clients have VERY unrealistic expectations and do not understand that I cannot read minds and also not magical. I cannot make something from nothing.
Random kid quotes of the week:
“What I have to do my own laundry? Since when?!” ~Chandler (aka Megs daughter) Also she’s been doing her own laundry for a whole year! She acts surprised every time her laundry day rolls around!
“Momma, wanna see my penis dance?” ~Waylon. No thanks, I’ll pass.
“Momma, I peed my bed. You can clean it and my room. Make it sparkle!” ~Hank. Sure, I’ll get right on that!
We are heading to the beach today and I’m so excited!!!
Much love to my favorite internet gang!
🤎📢 Erin
I showed my coworker the Harry and Shania video to which he said "I think I've heard those names before" 😭
I don't even know what's happened this week... just trying to get projects done and get through.
🎂Thanks for all of the kind birthday wishes here and on IG, it was a lovely day complete with this delightful conversation with some children at church. The boldness with which kids speak is both delightful and baffling.
kid 1: "Wow, that's cool that you and Owen were born so close together!"
me: "Well, he's 8 and I'm 30, so we weren't born that close together."
Kid 2, 4yo sister of Owen: "Are you going to die?"
🛋 I'm getting an almost brand new free couch tomorrow! I've tripled the amount of furniture I've owned in a month.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
OK, here I am at almost 59 ALSO cherishing Brene Brown's "candle blower outers" video. Erin, so sorry your girls are in the midst of friend drama.....and never in a million years thought I'd be in it at this age. And with someone I thought was a dear friend who I met AT CHURCH! and it happens. And what we do with it is up to us, like the Sharon Hodde Miller tweet you also posted. If anyone needs an "atta girl" or a leftover Dove Milk or Dark Chocolate Easter egg today b/c of mean candle snuffers, feel this virtual hug. You're awesome. And your hair looks FABULOUS today!! Erin, please send Moana pics!!
Happy Friday! I survived covid/flu #swipesflu but it was totally worth it. I’d risk it to spend in-person time with Swipes again in a heartbeat.
Regarding youths and shopping malls, a local mall just enacted a 2pm curfew on the weekends so everyone under 18 has to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Now the young folks will really need that explanation of what malls are!
I hadn’t really listened to Harry Styles before this week but after that Coachella performance, I’m on board.
I’m off to Disney World for the quickest trip this weekend, and I’ve got the latest Cinema Sidepiece queued up for the plane.
Shania and Harry forever