7 quick takes vol. 27: things I'm pumped about.

linking up with Kelly for some quick takes. 

//1//

You guys, it's been a good week. I think it's because I'm still riding the waves of the amazing retreat I got to go on last weekend. You guys know that I have been writing for Blessed is She for about 2 years now. Well, last weekend, for the first time ever, we had a Blessed is She Team Retreat.  Almost all the writers, plus creatives, plus our beautiful founder Jenna all gathered in the woods of Wisconsin for some In-Real-Life togetherness.  And it was amazing, for so many reasons:

1.  Meeting people in real life who I have stalked online for the last 2 years, or longer.

2. Having lots of meaningful conversations, prayer time, and the like.

3. Talking more about what it means to do women's ministry.

4. Being totally spoiled and pampered by Nell and her family at their amazing lodge in the woods.
If you're on Instagram and look up the hashtag #BISteamretreat you can get a pretty good idea of what the weekend was like.

It was such a blessing to be there and I'm still not quite sure how I got so lucky as to fall in with such an amazing and holy crowd.

This was the "Dance Party" playlist for the weekend.  If any dancing actually happened it was after I went to bed.  But it's a super fun playlist so I wanted to share it with all of you!

//2//

Sunday after the retreat I got to go to a calligraphy class taught by Erica, who designs the logos for Blessed is She, as well as the amazing planner that everyone, including myself, is now in love with.  I have always wanted to learn calligraphy but never thought I would be able to because I am left-handed.  But I totally learned! And it's awesome!

//3//

So, this one is kind of random, but I'm just so excited about it.  We have been having trouble getting the fitted sheet to stay on our bed. Every day the elastic corners creep up the sides of the mattress and everyday I pull them back down. We have a memory foam topper on our bed that makes it quite a bit taller, and so regular sheets don't stay on that well. Alex found sheets with "deep pockets." And all I could think of was making a decorative plaque says, "I like my men like I like my sheets, with deep pockets."

But the deep pocketed sheets still wouldn't stay on the mattress.  So then Alex, (who is very determined) thought, "if only there was something like suspenders that you could put on the underside of your mattress to hold the sheets in place." 

Guess what? There is! And guess what? They really work! No more having to pull the fitted sheet down over the mattress every morning.

It's the little things.

//4//

I got a pair of Crocs. Yes, I know they're ugly. But my feet hurt! I got them as indoor shoes to wear, mostly while I'm standing in the kitchen making dinner. I usually do this barefoot, and my feet have been really sore lately. So I got some Crocs. I got the flats and they're actually kind of cute. And they're really comfortable. So I don't care!

//5//

We decided to check out the first episode of This Is Us last night. I don't want to give away any spoilers to folks who haven't watched it yet. All I will say is I cried my way through it, of course. There's a very interesting twist in the plot and I still get goosebumps when I think about it. We will definitely come back next week for more.

But I think I confused some of my Instagram friends when I posted a picture of one of the main characters and said I was watching my brother on TV. To clear up any confusion, Milo Ventimiglia is not my brother.  BUT he looks exactly like my brother. And they have all the same mannerism. I've thought this since I first started watching Gilmore Girls many moons ago. And now that Milo has a beard the likeness is even more pronounced.  It's actually kind of freaky.

See what I mean?

//6//

I think I've mentioned before that my little sister is a professional hair stylist and she is always one step ahead when it comes to all things fashion. When we were little she was always trying to steal my makeup and borrow my clothes. But now, oh how the tables have turned.  One of my favorite things to do when she comes over to babysit my kids is dig through her giant makeup bag and play with all the super high-end goodies in there. 

Well, knowing me as she does, she got me an Ipsy subscription for my birthday and I got my first delivery last week. It's always fun to get mail, but when it's makeup, it's like a party! I loved all my products, but the best by far was the Bombshell nail polish they sent me. I normally don't even bother painting my fingernails because they just chip within a day or two, But I am going on one week and my nails still look great! 

The rest of my bag included a mascara, a contour brush, a conditioning hair mask, and a BB cream that is perfect for my skin. It's only $10 a month and the quality of everything is amazing. I think I just might keep it up even after my gifted months are over. If you want to use my referral link to check it out you will score me some points. Thanks! 

//7//

I have been so fascinated by the Describe Yourself In Three Fictional Characters thing that's been going around all the social media. I've been thinking about this long and hard for the last couple of days and here's what I came up with for myself.

Tami Taylor, responsible and sticks to her principles. Molly Weasely, nurturing and worries about her family a lot and will stick up for them no matter what.  And Anne Shirley, wildly imaginative, and short tempered.  And all of these great ladies have red hair. So there you have it!

Have a great weekend, y'all! 

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This Is A Job

I've got a new approach to this whole Stay-At-Home Mom thing this year. Just for a point of reference, my old approach was to try to relax as much as possible, stay in my pajamas as long as possible, and try to do as much knitting as possible. But this kind of parenting was actually causing some problems. Like, when I actually needed to be getting ready my kids were always really crabby. Leaving me putting on my makeup to the tune of two screaming babies, which is not a peaceful experience.  Or when I was doing my enjoyable hobby I had this constant lurking feeling that I should be doing something else (probably because I was ignoring piles of unfolded laundry and saving dinner prep for the witching hour), making it hard to enjoy my enjoyable hobby.

So here's my new approach. I'm treating being a Stay-At-Home Mom like it's a job.  Because it actually is a job.

I've never felt embarrassed by the fact that I'm a stay-at-home mom. I've known for some time that this is what I want to be doing. I also feel no judgment toward moms who want to or need to work outside the home. But I do often feel frustrated that I "got nothing done" all day. That is, I got nothing done beside cooking three meals, keeping my family in clean clothes, cleaning the kitchen, twice, changing a host of diapers, grocery shopping, staying on top of appointments, bills, and budgets and, oh yeah, teaching about ten hours of piano lessons out of my home each week which I don't really talk that much about on here, but that's a job, too. And at the of the day when I crawl into bed my body is tired and my feet are sore from the full day of work I put in. So why do I feel like I got nothing done? Why does my life feel insignificant?

It feels insignificant because I've been treating it as insignificant.

I don't know if it was some subliminal messaging from the society I live in, or my own misconceptions, but somewhere along the road I started feeling like the things I do all day don't matter as much as the things other people do all day. And because I wasn't valuing the things I was doing, they started to seem tedious to me.

But when I really stop and think about it, there's isn't anything else I'd rather be doing. Well, except for maybe professional wine tasting. Or unless you could pay me a lot of money to knit while I watch The Newsroom. But in all seriousness, I'm really happy as a Stay-At-Home Mom. And even though my work is hidden from world and I don't receive a paycheck for it, it is real work that contributes to the well being of my family. So I'm going to treat it that way.

And this is how:

Get up. I'm setting an alarm and getting up when it goes off even if the kids are still sleeping.

Get ready. I'm getting myself ready for the day before Alex leaves the house, and then I don't need to worry about doing it later when kids are melting down for their naps.

Eat breakfast. A cup of coffee and a cookie doesn't count. Everyone does better when mama has some protein in the morning.

Make hay while the sun shines. Or rather, when the babies are happy. I'm using the morning hours when everyone is happiest to get my most pressing chores done. This is usually making sure I have dinner planned and maybe even getting it into the crock pot or oven, and doing one or two cleaning chores, like vacuuming, or a load of laundry, or emptying the dishwasher.

When I'm on, I'm on. If I were at a "real job" I wouldn't be trying to sneak in an episode of 30 Rock, or knit under my desk. (At least I don't think so. . . .) Instead of escaping to my hobbies whenever I can, I am present with my children, building train tracks, stacking blocks, and lots of nursing.

Nap time is me time. That sacred hour, that respite for the weary. When the babies are sleeping I bust out the chocolate and my knitting, or blogging, or whatever else I want to do. And because I've been on top of my chores earlier in the day, I can enjoy my break 100% guilt free.

Get out of the house. Alone. And grocery shopping doesn't count. Being a mom is 24/7 job. I'm always on the clock. But if I can get out of the house by myself once or twice a week, it's enough of a break to refresh and energize me. We're not very good at implementing this one yet. Ideally we'd have a set day and time each week that I would leave, but the craziness of Alex's school makes that a little difficult right now. But I'm trying to get out, and when I do, I really notice the difference it makes.

We're three weeks in and so far my new approach has been working really well. I feel good about the amount of stuff I get done each day. I feel like I am getting some breaks. I'm losing my temper less with my children. Some days are still hard, I don't always wake up as early as I should, or people don't always nap as long as I'd like. But at the end of the day when my body is tired and my feet are sore I take it as a sign that I put in a good day of sanctifying work. Because this is a job, a calling, a vocation. And it's making me a holier person.

listening, eating, making, reading. vol. 3

I feel like if I tell you these four things I'm giving you the perfect snapshot of what I've been up to. Plus, they're all things I love to do and love to tall about. So here goes! 

//listening//

25 by Adele. I'm always a little behind the times, so I'm only just now going crazy for Adele.  But seriously! I can't get enough.  If you were to catch a glimpse of me driving in the car you would surely see me belting out the Adele at the top of my lungs.  Also, Adele has been my choice of music when I make my feeble attempts at running. Not you're typical workout jams, but I am so mesmerized by her voice, it's the only thing I can listen to that will truly distract me from how much I hate running. 

//eating//

It's finally cool enough to use the oven again! We've been cooking up lots of bacon to use for BTL's with garden fresh T's. I also made this tasty coffee cake the other day.  Even Johnny liked it!(Also, Hatch Prints mug.) 

//making//

So many things. Or should I say, sew many things. I made some bloomers for Trixie.

And some little drawstring bags for storing knitting projects in. 

And over the weekend Alex and I made a headboard, so now I can lean my head on something while I'm nursing Trixie in the wee small hours. Our room used to look like this.

 Now it looks like this! Yay!!

//reading//

Gilead. Recommended to me by so many people. It took me a while to get into it, but now I understand why everyone loves it.  It's truly beautiful writing that speaks so tenderly on the mysteries of the Christian life, and love, and parenthood. I really need to hustle and finish it though, because this one is next on my list and I want to get it read before Fountains of Carrots does their book podcast on it! 

What have you been up to? Link up to share!

disclaimer: amazon links are affiliate. That means if you make a purchase after following a link, I get a small percentage of that purchase at no extra cost to you! 

An InLinkz Link-up

7 quick takes vol. 26

linking up with Kelly for some Quick Takes! 

//1//

It's Friday! YAY! We survived our first week of what will be our normal for the next 9 months, Alex in school, Johnny in school, and me teaching piano lessons. I was a little anxious about starting everything up again after having such a nice, long summer break.  But the week actually went pretty smoothly, and, not surprising, I get a lot more done and feel better when my days have some structure and schedule to them.

//2// 

Johnny's first day of school was a little rockier than I was anticipating.  When he started at his DHH school last spring, and was away from us for the first time ever, it was a very hard transition.  But after a couple weeks, he really started to love school, even asking for "shool" first thing every morning. I thought he would be so happy to back this fall, but he actually was very sad. There were lots of tears and hugs and kisses, and I felt like this all over again. Thankfully by day 3 he was fine at drop-off. I think this year is going to be really good for him.

//3//

If you follow me on Instagram you've probably noticed an increase in postings since Alex has been back in school.  I guess I'm a little lonely without him.  Thanks for keeping me company over there during the day.

Can we talk about the Stories feature on Instagram? When it was introduced I dismissed it with an eye roll and an indignant come on, Kevin. But guess who's hooked now? This moi!

I guess maybe this means I should be on snap chat? One thing at a time.

//4//

Over the summer one of Alex's sisters made me aware of the fact that my iPhone counts my steps! Who knew? Probably everyone else. Since I made this discovery I have been obsessed with counting my steps. It's been a really great addiction.  Instead of putting off going upstairs to get something until I need to go up to put someone down for a nap, I just run right up, because, more steps!! And I've been going for a walk with the kids almost every day because, more steps!

(It was SO humid this week )

I have run into a little bit of a problem though.  Most of the things I wear don't have pockets. Especially in the summer when  I'm wearing a lot of dresses and skirts. If only there was some sort of clothing accessory that would allow me to carry stuff around with me when my outfits don't have pockets...

Also, I feel like if you're carrying 20 lbs, or 30 lbs, or sometimes 50 lbs of children you should get double credit for your steps.  Maybe someone can work on that?

//5//

Did you see that the 2017 Blessed is She Planner is available for pre-order? When the first planner was released it sold out in a week. You can enter the giveaway I'm doing! But if you really want one you'd better scoot on over to Blessed is She Shop. It's a beautiful planner and it helps support this beautiful ministry. So, thanks!

//6//

Grace posted a couple weeks ago about high-waisted jeans.  It helped me realize some thoughts I had already been forming about pants and postpartum bodies and muffin tops. So I used a birthday gift card to try these from the Gap. I'm sold!! It's mom jeans for me from here on out.

//7//

Thank you to my friend Shea for telling me to watch Newsroom! I love it! So much dialogue, so good for knitting. I guess I'm just an Aaron Sorkin girl.

Happy Friday, Friends!

disclaimer: some links are affiliate. That means if you follow the link and make a purchase I get a small percentage of that sale at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting this blog! 

planner LOVE! {giveaway}

Being the slightly type-A personality that I am, I love planners. I love putting all of my to-do's and commitments into nice organized rows and boxes and seeing my life spread out before me weeks or months in advance. It fills me with delight.

I have always been a Moleskine planner girl, ever since I was in high school. I've never even bothered with any other type of planner, not unless you count the year I tried to use the calendar on my phone. That lasted all of one month. So when I heard that Blessed is She was putting out a planner designed around the liturgical calendar I thought, "that's nice, but I'll just stick with my Moleskine." 

Well, through the generosity of another individual the Blessed is She planner was made available to me, so I thought I'd try it out. And oh my friends. This. Planner.

I have never loved a planner so much. It has everything I need: monthly views, weekly views, places for lists, goals, feast days, prayers, and my very favorite is the meal planning space.  I always make a meal plan for the week, but it's usually on a little scrap of paper that I've found lying around, and I almost always lose it. The result being I can't remember what I bought certain grocery items for and I'm still scrambling to figure out dinner.

Practicality and organization aside, this planner is also very very beautiful. It feels like a mini vacation just to sit and write in it.  At least it does for me. I even managed to escape to a coffee shop by myself when mine arrived so that I could dive into it and start filling things in without being interrupted. Luxury! When I'm at home I have been very careful to hide it when not using it, because I think if Johnny got his hands on it I would probably cry.

Anyway.  I'm totally sold. I hope Jenna and Erica keep making them forever because I don't see how I could ever go back.

Because I love it so, and because someone was so nice as to bestow one upon me, I'd like to pay it forward and bestow one on one of you, my dear readers. Visit the Blessed is She Shop and then comment here with your favorite item to enter.  It doesn't have to be the planner, as there are many other lovely things. But the planner is pretty great. You may just want to snag one for yourself. This is the second time a pre-order has been made available and the first time they went like hot cakes. So, you know. Hop to it!

UPDATE: Congrats to Jill on winning! I just sent you an email.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deep Water

Lately I've been tired. Not just sleep deprived, but a burned-out kind of tired. I feel like I'm doing the same things day after day. Cleaning up the same messes, cooking the same meals, getting up with the baby at the same times during the night, giving the toddler the same instructions over and over again. Sometimes it feels like a thankless job with no visible results. Sometimes I get discouraged, and I get tired, and I get worn out. When I stop and think about it, I know that what I'm doing is important, I really do. But sometimes I just with I could see some fruit for all of my labor.

 Then I read a gospel passage like this:

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.” (Luke 5:1-5)

I know I've read these verses before, but this time the words are jumping off the page at me. I understand exactly how Simon Peter felt. He was tired and discouraged, he'd been up all night long, he'd just finishing cleaning those nets for crying out loud! And Jesus wants him to go out there again?

Clearly Peter's obedience was rewarded, and Christ revealed His divinity through it. But there's another reason this story stands out to me as so amazing; it's because I know how it ends. I know what Simon Peter goes on to do- cast out demons, heal the lame, stand in the empty tomb, hear the rushing wind of the Spirit and speak in tongues at Pentecost. And it blows my mind to think that when Jesus found him he was tired and discouraged from being up all night- just like me.

Just when I think I've finished my work, when I've gotten both kids down, and the kitchen is cleaned up, and the laundry pile is taken care of, when I've made my cup of tea and am about to settle into a comfy spot on the couch with my book, (who am I kidding? with my Netflix) invariably someone wakes up to be fed, or to be tucked in again. I exhale with a sigh of exasperation, can't I just catch a break? But I should pay attention, because Jesus is passing by, and He is calling me into the deep water of my vocation.

"Lord, I've been up all night, and I haven't caught anything!"  "I know," he says, "but do it again, so I can show you my abundance." 

There's an abundance in my life whether I like it or not.  Every day an abundance of opportunities to show love to my family.  And not just the kind of love that looks good on Instagram. Service, love in action. The kind of love that gives of itself and lays down its life. It's hard to love like that. But there's also an abundance of grace that helps me to love, imperfect and selfish though I be. Maybe right now I can't see the fruit of my love in action, the catch that is sinking my boat, but I have to believe it's being made, and stored up in eternity.

For the time being I am in deep water, and it's right where Jesus has called me to be. It's not easy, but there is so much more here than if I had just stayed on the shore.

7 quick takes vol. 25: summer wrap up

linking up with Kelly for some quick takes.

It's always hard to say goodbye to summer, but it seems especially hard this year. Summer was this beautiful oasis of rest and family time and no obligations. And now it's almost over. Alex starts school on Monday, and the following week Johnny starts school and I start teaching piano lessons again.

Here's a little summer wrap-up before we dig back into schedules and homework and deadlines.

//1//

We redid our front porch! We have a three season porch on the front of our house that we like to hang out on, even though it sort of looks like it's about to fall off the house. But we had hardly used it this spring or summer because the carpet that was out there (for who knows how many years) was so dirty it would turn the bottoms of our feet black. I didn't like the idea of Trixie crawling around on it. We decided to rip out the carpet and just paint the wooden porch floor. But since we had the carpet out, we decided we might as well go ahead and paint the walls and trim as well.

I forgot to take Before Pictures until after we had started. So they're not truly before.

Before:

And After:

Before:

And After:

This was the first house project we'd done since Trixie was born, and it gave me a new respect and admiration for people who remodel/renovate their homes while living in them, with kids. It took us almost a week of late night painting after the kids had fallen asleep. One week and one Ikea trip later we had a new front porch that we absolutely love spending time on. But we were exhausted and I vowed no more house projects for the summer.

//2//

But then....

We decided to replace our bathtub! 

The bathtub that was in the house when we bought it almost 7 years ago was a whirlpool, but we never used the the jets because they leak water into our kitchen. Over the years we've been sort of worried that the unused jets were just harboring all sorts of mold and bacteria, so this summer we decided we couldn't bathe our children in there one more time and we had to put a new tub in. 

The online tutorial said you would need one day and two people to get this done. 

I'll spare you all the gory details, but one WEEK later, we had our bathroom back to normal.  Once again, I have no idea how you DIY-fixer-upper people do it. House projects make me really crabby. But I do love the end result. 

Before:

During: I cannot handle chaos!!!

And After:

Mad props to Alex for getting this done without having to bring in a professional. (Besides my carpenter brother.) Now that's it's over I'm really glad we did it.  But, #neveragain.

//3//

In knitting news. I made this sweater!

And also played around with some sewing and crocheting. Now I am turning my attention to Handmade Christmas. I'd like to make everyone in my family something, even if it's just a little thing. But I have to start now! 

//4//

We lost control of the garden. I weeded once in July. But somehow we're still managing to get quite a lot of vegetables! Here's a list I made a couple years ago of things I like to do with my tomatoes. 

//5//

Alex and I finally finished Downton Abbey! We had given up on it after Season 3. Too many people had been killed off, and the story felt too contrived. We didn't feel like we were missing out on much, but then I kept hearing from people how great the final season was. So we gave it another chance.  Parts of season 4 were sort of painful, but once we got to season 5 I was thoroughly enjoying myself. And I cried my way through season 6. 

//6//

We had a very brief stint of potty training. Johnny doesn't have to be potty trained for his wonderful deaf and hard-of-hearing preschool; they don't want any barriers between DHH kids getting the aural training they need. But I thought it might be nice to have him potty trained for this fall anyway. Day 1 went ok. Day 2 was a nightmare which left me in tears and consulting all my mama Facebook groups. And this, my friends, is why it takes a village. I got so much encouragement and helpful advice. I felt released from trying to get him potty trained right now, and I didn't feel like a failure because of my decision to quit. We are going to wait a few more months and see if Johnny takes any initiative. Thank you everyone who advised me! 

//7//

Calling all bloggers! My friend Jacqui and I are planning a Midwest-region Catholic Women Bloggers Conference for March of 2017 here in St. Paul. We're still in the early stages of planning but I can guarantee you it's going to be so much fun!! If you blog and you want to stay in the loop about this you should join our Facebook group. We want to see you all there! 

t h i r t y

During the very early hours of the day I turned 30 my ears were greeted with the sounds my baby stirring in her crib on the far side of the room. I got up and stumbled through the darkness to scoop her up and bring her back to bed to nurse. The best birthday gift everyone could give me right now would be a stretch of sleep longer than three hours. But with a baby cutting four teeth at once, that was a lot to hope for.  A streetlamp on our block shed just enough light for me to make out her features in the darkness, wispy hair, long lashes, a little button nose, and the chubbiest cheeks you every saw. My body ached for sleep, but I still couldn't help but smile as a little hand reached out and wrapped around my index finger. I know all too well that nothing in life is guaranteed, not another child, not even another day. So I stuffed my tiredness down, whispered "happy birthday to me," and decided to enjoy this early morning snuggle.

A couple hours later we could hear our toddler coughing in the other room. He'd had a cold the last couple days and it always seems to get worse when he's lying down. My husband was just getting up to make sure he had enough water when I heard the unmistakable sound of a child throwing up. Then we were both up, one of us comforting Johnny, and the other one changing the sheets on his bed. "So, it's going to be one of these night," I thought to myself. But it was impossible to feel mad when my three year old, who normally doesn't have to time of day to sit and cuddle with his mama, was sitting on my lap with his arm around my neck and his head against my chest. Some of the most rewarding moments of motherhood for me have been when being with mom is the only thing that comforts my babies.

Growing up we had a tradition in my family of birthday breakfast in bed. We all knew it was coming, but would stay in bed and pretend to sleep until the rest of the family came marching in with a breakfast tray, singing the birthday song. Alex and I have adopted that tradition in our own little family. But it's getting harder to execute with small children. Johnny was having such a rough night that Alex ended up sleeping in his bed with him. Trixie was a up once more during the night, and then up for good at 6:30. When Alex realized Trixie and I were awake he tried to convince me to go back to bed so he could "surprise" me with breakfast, but at that point it seemed better to just stay up.  So I wrestled two babies through two diaper changes while Alex made coffee and put together a tray of the international cookies from Whole Foods. My favorite. We had a nice little breakfast picnic on the playroom floor. Coffee that I didn't have to make always tastes better.

My parents came over to watch the kids so Alex and I could go out for dinner. We slid into a plush corner booth in a very hip lounge that my very hip younger sister recommended.  After the server had brought us our cocktails Alex leaned back and said, "It's nice to be out without kids." I agreed. I also observed that our server did not card us. When Alex and I were dating and in our early 20's we always took it as a small triumph when that happened. I was about to have a similar reaction just out of habit when I noticed her carding the much younger looking couple at the table next to us.

I'm 30. And I guess I look it.

But in all actuality, I'm really ok with being 30. Sure, the baby weight is not coming off as easily the second time around, and I may be a dress size or two larger than when I was in college. But my body has grown and birthed two humans. It's ok with me that it looks like it's done that. There are a few more life skills I think I should possess by now, like how to file our taxes, and deal with insurance stuff, and make a spread sheet. I guess that's why God gave me Alex. (Wink.) But I'm proud of the other things I've accomplished in 30 years. Staying home with my kids is challenging, but I chose it and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. I'm happy with where I'm at and I feel comfortable in my own skin. Yup, even the looser skin.

As nice as it was to go out with Alex and have an uninterrupted meal, it was even nicer to come home to our house with our sleeping babies in it and sneak into their rooms to plant little kisses on their little heads. It's a good life, even though I know in a couple hours one, or both of them, will wake up needing me.