NaBloPoMo - Day 15

I'm just going to jump right in today with a very condensed catch-up post about what's been happening in my life during the three years I was missing from the blogging world before starting NaBloPoMo this year.

I've already filled you in about my two beautiful granddaughters and just how much my world has revolved around them during that time. The other side of my story isn't nearly as pleasant - it's pretty grim. 

Most of you know I stopped blogging back in 2022 when my husband unexpectedly passed away. It was obviously a very difficult year. I know my friends here would have been a great support system, but I was just... empty. 

I went from working part-time to working full-time, plus any extra hours I could get to fill my days and wear me out enough to be able to come home and sleep at night. It was just my way of dealing and letting time do its thing. 

I had to quit working in 2023 due to health issues. At the beginning of the year, my health took a huge nosedive. In between taking care of my first granddaughter, that year was filled with constant medical appointments, extensive testing, procedures, and surgeries. I ended that year at a gaunt ninety-nine pounds, but with my health back under control for the most part.

2024 was the year of hurricanes here. My area was hit by not one, or even two, but three storms. They were all bad, all caused a lot of damage. The last one, Hurricane Milton, was a direct hit and came very close to destroying my home. Let me add here, I was uninsured at the time.

This year has been spent attempting to recover from the storms. It's taken just about every penny I have, but I've had the major repairs completed. Unfortunately, my home still needs a lot of work, both inside and out. 

I've thought about selling. My home is in a fantastic location, but the market here in Florida is so horrible right now. I've been decluttering and packing things up with the hope that it will change soon, but of course, I'm not holding my breath. I'm just kind of stuck at the moment. We'll see how things go from here.  

So there you have it. It's been a very rough few years, and I'm worse for the wear, but I'm not complaining - I'm still here to talk about it, thankfully. 

Now you can understand why it has taken me so long to finally get back to blogging. Back to more positive posts tomorrow!

NaBloPoMo - Day 8

Good morning. How's everyone doing this weekend?

I'm exhausted. Yes, I know I say that just about every day, but it's true. I hadn't even adjusted to the time change yet when Thursday rolled around for my day with the girls. They were even wilder than usual this week and were trying very hard to get themselves put on Santa's naughty list for this year.

Let's do another catch-up post today, a little backstory on how things have been since my grandbabies were born.

Back in 2022, I started watching Luna, the first grandbaby, when she was four months old. I was working full-time, so I scheduled my days off on Tuesdays and Thursdays to watch her on those days. I had zero days off a week. Luna was only eight months old in December when she showed up wearing a Big Sister T-shirt.

I left work in 2023 due to health issues. I was alternating caring for Luna two or three days a week with the other grandma. Little Olive was born in August that year. I call her Ollie or Ollie Pop. Luna was only sixteen months old when Ollie came along. Watching a toddler and a newborn at the same time was so much work, but it only got harder and harder as time went by.

In 2024, it turned into two toddlers. I spent most of my days with them trying to make sure they somehow stayed alive and unharmed. It was a crazy time. In August of last year, Luna started preschool three days a week. I had one or two days with Ollie and one with both of them. It was a little easier, but not by much.

That continued into this year until August, when Ollie Pop started preschool, too. I'm down to just one day a week since then. For everyone who thought my day on Thursday was a lot, it was a breeze compared to the last few years. At least I have lots of time to recover now before doing it all over again. 

This is actually my big break time before the next two babies come along. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I suppose I'll manage one way or another. 

I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. My world revolves around my grandbabies. It's just a lot with these long days. I'm not getting any younger, you know?

I spent most of my day yesterday cleaning and restoring order in my home after a day with my two little tornadoes. I got a call from my son on his way home from work, asking me if I would mind watching them for just a few hours Saturday evening. That would be today. Again. Already. The fun never ends around here!

Enjoy the weekend. :)