No. 29: The Magic of the Finish Line

PLUS a Q&A request for next week

Next week is the 30th edition of the gold standard and I wanted to celebrate that with a Q&A section in the newsletter! I used to do this weekly on Instagram and I found the questions always uncover something I’d never think to share. Whether you have a curiosity about parenthood in these little seasons, pregnancy, homeschooling, what to wear to xyz, a curly hair question, a home renovation question, an intimacy question—the floodgates are open. Just shoot me an email at jill@goldandgraphite.com and let me know if you’d like to be anonymous or not. Thanks for being here for 30 letters, friends.

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I’m writing this on one of those days that leaves you daydreaming. I woke up with the dark to get the two big kids fed by candlelight, in their uniforms and greased up, correcting mistakes I noticed in their homework after they went to bed last night and out the door. I sipped my favorite tea while I worked my way through Psalms and was able to go back to sleep for a whole hour (!) before Z woke up.

My older two are only in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays but since our Spring Break brought us what I’m lovingly referring to as ‘The Plague,’ they both missed a full week of school while they healed up. I love my kids—I do. But having them in these walls for 18 days turned into a double Christmas break and it was time for them to slip into their plaid and get the heck out of here. I was ready. You get it.

The thing is, this is mostly I cherish my two days a week with just Z by my side. It breaks my heart that she only has two months left as a two year old because I’m a firm believer that our house is better with a toddler in it. I’m also in the sentimental phase where I can do the quick math that after we blow out the candles on her birthday, we’re just about one month away from welcoming another baby to the crew. Don’t get me wrong, the deliciousness of those first few weeks with a new baby in my arms make up some of my favorite memories in my entire life. Sign me up for newborn snuggles forever. But I can’t think about the precious smell and itty bitty clothes without also thinking of the hard.