There’s this thing I do with my long-distance friends called the Wednesday Waffle. I found it on Instagram or TikTok. The idea is simple: send each other a video or voice note with an update about life — the more mundane, the better. It helps us feel like we still know the little things we’d be aware of if we lived closer.

Scrolling through my blog, I realize I’ve documented so much of the mundane — things that were funny or interesting at the time — and I love it. So, my version of the Wednesday Waffle is going to be The Roundup on Saturdays. I can’t do a Wednesday because of mid-week kid chaos, and we need to be on the other side of it to fully appreciate it.

The Week’s Roundup

The week started off with a bang. Special K had a dentist appointment to pull two of his four stubborn milk teeth. There are two kinds of dentists: those who prioritize pain control and those who go with the “this is quick, let’s just do it” approach. Thankfully, K’s dentist is the former. He did all the things — gel to numb the gums, laughing gas (which didn’t produce any laughing), and injections to numb the area.

It took ages, but it was painless. Two teeth on one side came out, and we’ll go back next week for the other side. Not an ideal start to the week, but I remind myself that it’s a privilege to access these treatments. Except for a slightly numb lip, everything was back to normal four hours later. He stuck to soft foods for the day, and the next, just in case.

I also had a meeting at K’s school with the head of his grade to discuss the disaster that was the three-way conference. He was receptive, so now we wait and see. My plan is to be proactive — approach the school in good faith and talk through the problem. If that doesn’t work, I’ll become a thorn in their side so they’ll think twice when it comes to my child.

I’ve moved past the idea of finding a school that’s automatically on my child’s side. That’s just not how things are set up. So, I will always be on my child’s side and won’t let up. This could be a whole post on its own about advocating for your child (or the benefits of being the “crazy mother” at school). Let me know if this is something you’d like to read about and discuss more.

A has been quietly teenagering in the background — often undetected. If you’re wondering when boys stop being little and suddenly become teenagers, the magic age is 14. With girls, it happens gradually, and one day they’re standing there in your clothes, looking like actual women. But with boys, it’s a Hulk moment — one day they’re shorter than you, and the next, they need all new clothes. For mine, it’s 14.

B — who I realize I’ve written about the least, which makes me a little sad — is as quirky and funny as ever. He went away for two nights on a school camping trip. I can’t believe I let him go at just 8 years old.

Here’s another potential blog post: The Art of Under-Parenting. My husband told me before we asked B if he wanted to go that if we decided to let him go, I shouldn’t overload him with information. Over-preparing him, he said, would only make him nervous. Naturally, I felt a bit hurt by this, but I’ve decided to step back and listen when someone who loves me offers advice. Long story short: I didn’t overload him with information, and it went beautifully.

J and S are back from London. الحمد لله, there’s nothing like having a full house. It’s funny how life is both fast and slow. Day-to-day, time drags on, but the years seem to fly by. They’re here for about a month — just long enough for me to get used to having them around before they leave again.

And Me?

I’m reading a beautiful book called There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, and it has me captivated. That’s the magic in my life right now.

I’m also on a mission to cut out the noise (most of which I’ve created) and focus on doing the things I want to do. Not just selfish things — but if I feel the urge to do something, I want to stop overthinking and just do it.

I also want to get back to playing more and doing more with the kids. We spend time together, sure, but not in the same way I used to with the older ones. It’s easy to skip the little moments when the house is full and they’re busy entertaining themselves, but I find myself missing those moments after the fact.

This led me to say yes when B asked me to play his favorite game, “Pets.” The game starts with a solid five minutes spent describing and discussing what kind of pet he’s going to be. This effort, of course, does not mean the pet won’t change midway through or that we won’t have mini-conversations about these changes as we go. Also, the storyline of the game itself requires a lot of discussion because B finally understands that I cannot read his mind. So, we discuss.

I am not a fan of this game.

To lighten my load, I roped K into it — a decision I quickly regretted. K kept pointing out cracks in the story or going completely rogue. At one point, he pretend-called the police on me because I was a scientist talking to an animal, which he deemed a threat to society. When the imaginary police showed up, B and I gaslit K by pretending B was just a normal pet and that I never spoke to him. Eventually, I kicked K out of the game.

The highlight of our week, though, was watching The Sword in the Stone. Old cartoons are perfect — they last about an hour, aren’t overstimulating, and come with great songs. It was a blast.

That’s my weekly roundup! It turned out much longer than I expected. If you made it this far — yay! I applaud and thank you.

How has your week been? Is there anything here you’d like me to elaborate on or discuss in a future post?