the whole30 challenge, reading book logs, and looking for solutions. Yup, it is Friday. That means I

My 6th grader brought home a book log, and at that moment, I think a little piece of me died. I am convinced that purgatory is just one long, never ending book log we need to fill in each and every day.

This morning my dog was outside barking, desperately trying to get out of the gate. I said to my 16 year old, "She really wants out", and she quickly replied, "We all do." Wherever does she get this snarky humor from?

So I listened to Jen Hatmaker's podcast with Melissa Hartwig, and got totally inspired to do the Whole30 challenge. Until I read no dairy. Or tortilla chips. Or beans. And I realized that my entire daily diet is just one giant burrito. And that everything I eat is on the Whole30 "do not eat" list. So I decided that I would think about doing Whole30 for 30 days...and then re-consider. Already, I feel so much healthier.

I am at that point in college packing where I start to think I need to buy those things that two months ago I KNEW my son absolutely did not need. Only I do know not to buy the iron, or ironing board that the school has on its list. Show me the boy who gets to college and is suddenly like, "Yeah, guys I'm totally down for meeting you at the quad....just give me ten...gotta iron this T shirt first!"

Last night was Open House at the Middle School, and when I got there, I realized that the first full HOUR was designated to finding your child's specials, and meeting with the teachers. Which would be fine...if I had any idea what specials my child had. So I met a few women for drinks next door instead. I had a very special cucumber gin martini. And I know this sounds bad, but really...how many Open Houses can one mom endure? I have zero questions or concerns after just four days of school, and my brain retains nothing after 7PM anyway. Plus, I made a few new friends, and discovered a new favorite drink...which is most likely, not on the Whole30 plan, but definitely on my thinking for 30 about the Whole30 plan.

Ran into an old friend at TJ Maxx who shared she was there to purchase a blanket for the school picnic that night, and immediately my heart dropped and I was all like, "NO!!! What!??? There is a picnic???" I almost threw up. Turns out, it was the elementary school picnic...and my children are no longer in elementary school. But these are the things, people, that send me into an absolute panic! I am always missing information because we are given too much information! You know how FOMO is a thing? Fear of missing out? Well, I have FOMAEIMLBGGCYPSENIADLBICNKUWAOI. Fear of missing absolutely everything in my life because good grief can you please stop emailing new information all day long because I can't keep up with any of it.

I know what you are thinking. You should have gone to the Open House if you do not know what is going on. But for the record, I think every mother of an 8th grader was at that bar that night. Not just me. Which might not necessarily be a good thing...but at least it helps me feel a little less pathetic than I fear I might be.

So I am off now to buy things my son does not need for school, and to eat a burrito, and to hit Adoration, because well...it is Adoration. And I am thinking about this today...solutions. My husband and I met with the bank this week because we are trying to get a mortgage to buy the house we are renting. And I am not a numbers person at all...the guy was scribbling equations and problems and number crunching and doing all sorts of crazy things, and all I could do was sit in amazement at his mathematical brain and I told him, "You know, you can write any number down and tell me absolutely anything, and I would believe you and agree." He laughed...I think he thought I was joking...so to make him understand just how number challenged I am, I said, "No, really. You should have seen me at Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday...I handed the cashier a million coupons and she started to tell me how she would apply them...where the 20% makes the most sense, and where the $5 works best, and how I could save the most money, and was I ok with this, and I finally told her, "You can tell me anything, and I will say YES, just so you know." That story made my husband uncomfortable. But regardless...because our funds are limited and our financial savings...well...they are challenged...the mortgage guy just kept saying, "Let's try this, and if it doesn't give us the answer we want, that is ok...there are solutions." And I loved that. There are solutions. It will not be the end of the world. We are not saying NO. We will not kick and scream and cry at how unfair life is. We will look for the solutions. What a great way to approach everything, really. What a great thing to teach our kids. And what a good way to start this new month ...not in despair, not hanging on to the negative, not focusing on the problems, not seeking out the wrong, not giving in to misery, but looking for the solutions.

And by they way, the solution, for me, and you too, has a name.

Jesus.

And by the way, since when did being a cashier at Bed, Bath and Beyond, require an engineering degree?

And by the way, the lunch box my son lost on day one of school? It never returned.

So we are brown bagging it all year long.

See?

Looking for the solutions.