Hey all! It’s been a minute since I did a proper catch up!

It’s been a ride the past few weeks – again. A few days after the fourth, we noticed a bite on Wyatt’s leg, probably from a spider. It started to get red all around it so I took him to the pediatrician who recommended both antibiotics and hydrocortisone since she wasn’t quite sure what exactly was happening. However, by the time the pharmacy had the antibiotics ready, the redness had spread significantly. So, I drove him to U of M Children’s Emergency. We ended up staying the night while Wyatt received two rounds of IV antibiotics and by the next morning you could tell it was helping. We were discharged with a different prescription for a different antibiotic and wow, it really knocked the heck out of the infection quickly. However, it also knocked the heck out of my kiddo, who experienced some antibiotic side effects that we are still dealing with, but hopefully we are rounding a corner. Please send up some prayers and good vibes for this kiddo!

However, we were close to home for about ten days now, with very short trips out – quick trips to the library or the store, and a quick trip to the nearby wildlife refuge where we did not hike, but just toured the nature center and walked around out front. Short and quick has been our motto these past few days.

Because this was all caused by a bug bite, I am now super reluctant to take my kid outside, when we have been nature lovers forever. It is pretty hard for me to wrap my head around! I did cancel our upcoming camping trip, I am not ready after this! I did plan a small surprise for Wyatt (and Billy too) last Saturday night though, to try to a little bit make up for the cancelled trip.

I bought a little bed canopy from Amazon, hung it, and set it all up with board games and books. I also made indoor s’mores with unmelted chocolate because, well we were in bed, marshmallow fluff, and graham crackers, and had bowls of popcorn too. I put an outdoor sounds ASMR on the tv for background, and ran Wyatt’s little star projector to put stars on the ceiling. It turned out super cute, and Wyatt loved it! I have to admit, I sort of liked the feeling of being all enclosed when I have the canopy untied and down, and it is still up for now. It was a bit of cheer in what was a very difficult week.

In keeping with our quick and short outings, the next day we took Wyatt out to the International Wildlife Refuge to visit the nature center. It had opened during Covid, but never actually opened to the public due to Covid. It finally opened to people I think last fall, but we just made it there Sunday for the first time. It was really cute in there, with great educational displays, and a gift shop, which Wyatt loved since he has become a shopper for some reason.

I almost forgot!! The local street art fair was happening last week as well, and Wyatt and I went bright and early the first day at opening. I knew we could walk around and be done in less than an hour and still have fun, which we did. We met a local author who writes books about a little boy who is a wheelchair user who becomes a superhero! She wanted to write books about children with disabilities, where the book is not just about the disability, which is usually what we run into. We were so excited to pick this up and meet her, plus she inscribed the book and it made me teary! Her name is Andrea Kurth, and she is a special education teacher as well! (her book is free for Kindle Unlimited or $6.99 for a paperback if you want to check it out!)

The next night my dad and stepmom came to watch Wyatt and give us a little break. Billy and I have been going to the street fair together for 30 years, so of course that is where we headed for our time out together!

We had a good time! We were there about an hour and half but it was much needed. I am so excited about my new squirrel print by local artist Anthony Brass! I love that he looks like some sort of nosy neighbor Cosmo Kramer. There was another squirrel that I think I might have to get eventually to match. Later I saw on Instagram that Brass got an award for the best booth at the art fair, so congrats to him! The tote shown is from Carpe Librum Crafts, which was also a favorite booth of mine. Wyatt picked out a sticker when we went together, and then Billy and I bought him a shirt that we plan on giving him at Christmas when the two of us went.

We had some quick trips out, but most of our time was spent at home. We played lots of games, read books, and while Wyatt did his independent projects, I reworked my journals. They just weren’t the way I wanted, I weeded some out, fixed some, added some new ones, and while I am still reworking a few, I am excited about how it is going. I have a page up there in the menu of blog pages that shows quite a few of them, as well as a link to my Amazon Storefront where you can find them. I have been having a good time using my reading journal lately, personally. I keep it nearby close at hand when I am reading other blogs or watching booktubers or booktok.

And after all of that, I need a refill! I hope you are all doing well!