Sharing some recent fashion favorites today! Along with a lot of additional randomness. I’m apologizing early again for the length of this post! I guess we have some catching up to do. :)
{Zella Hoodie (on sale!)/Zella Leggings/Adidas Sneakers} *affiliate links used
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be out of bed and getting dressed these days. Of course my wardrobe has consisted of pretty much leggings and athletic wear, but I’ll take it! This knee surgery has been a little harder on me than I thought it would be and has definitely helped me appreciate all of the little things I often take for granted. I missed getting dressed in cute clothes! I missed driving. I missed being able to pick things up and carry them from one room to another. I miss checking on my kids in their bedrooms upstairs each night after they fall asleep (still can’t do that one). I even missed grocery shopping. Not the cooking of course – I was happy to take a long break from coming up with dinner each night. In fact I’m still conveniently suffering from major knee pain and needing to rest right around 5:30 each evening.. ha. We’ll see how long I can milk this thing. ;) Anyway.. happy to be among the living again and grateful that I have several pairs of these Zella high waist leggings. They have been on repeat around here! The Zella hoodie I’m wearing is so soft and warm and perfect for easing back into life. And I know.. you’re all dying to know how you can get the knee brace. It’s a hot accessory this season so I’ll link to it at the end of this post. ;)
This sweatshirt might be my most favorite sweatshirt I’ve ever owned. Honestly. I love it so much I wore it three times last week! I’m going to order it in a different color because I just keep reaching for it. It’s so comfortable and soft! And not too heavy. Perfect for transitioning into Spring.
The material is so nice you could even dress it up. Would be so cute with these jeans and my peep toe booties. I miss wearing peep toe booties!
This Nike half zip top is so light weight and comfortable. I love having the option of using the thumb holes on athletic tops like this.
This Zella hoodie is one I’ve had for a while and love. It’s on sale and comes in coral and a darker blue that’s cute too.
I just ordered this cute half zip running top. I love the blue! It fits true to size except the arms are a bit tight so I might try it in a small. (Wearing xs in this pic)
{Camo top/AG jeans/Adidas sneakers}
I ventured into jeans twice last week but could only wear them for a couple of hours. My knee is still swollen and gets so sore and I’m moving very slowly (can’t bend my knee at all when I walk) so after a couple of hours in jeans I just wanted to be back in leggings! But I was dying to wear this camo top I ordered. I’m so in love with it! It runs BIG so order a size down (this is an xxs).
It’s long! I love it tucked in the front and hanging in the back. And I know.. this brace makes me look like I’m right out of Terminator.
A newish cute flannel plaid top! I don’t normally love pink on me but I love the pink and black together in this shirt.
K – these drawstring trooper pants. I’m so in love! Pants like these are my all time favorite and I live in them. Soft, comfy, stylish. They come in other colors and I want them in black too. Or the green! I think the pink sold out. The camo pair was a no brainer for me. :) Wearing them with this long time favorite linen tee. Pants like this you can wear casual like I am or dress them up with different shirt/shoes.
This pic was from last year with similar cargos I bought at Anthro. I love wearing cargo pants with these beloved strappy sandals. A quick shoe change and you’re ready for dinner out!
I’ve had these black similar cargos for years and have worn them out! Another look at this type of pants with cute strappy sandals. Spring we are ready for you! And speaking of gingham because I love this top.. there are so many cute new gingham things I have my eye on. Here are a few..
Remember in early January when I shared this Dyson Supersonic blowdryer that my husband gave me for Christmas? I kind of decided I didn’t love it and was going to return it. Some of you suggested learning how to use it better and I probably should have done that but I had time to do a little blow dryer research this past month :) and I decided instead to give this one a try..
{RUSK Engineering W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer}
I’ve been using it the past few weeks and love it! It dries my hair faster than the Dyson did, doesn’t get too hot and like the Dyson it’s really lightweight.
So since I had a little extra hair care cash after returning the Dyson.. ha :) I decided to try this T3 Twirl Trio curling iron. It just came last week and I haven’t tried it yet but I’m so excited to because I’ve been hearing rave reviews about it for a long time now. You can buy just the 1.25 barrel for less, but sometimes I like the 1 inch and I curl my girls’ hair often for events too so it will be nice to have the different sized barrels to swap out depending on the look we’re going for. Do any of you have this curling iron? Would love to hear what you think! I’ll let you know if I love it or not soon. I’ve always just used a super cheap $12 curling iron from Target but my last one broke and I’m excited to see if this is worth the extra cash!
This is random but I was looking for a new mirror on-line the other night and I stumbled on my barstools!
Well.. almost my barstools. My barstools were made custom but because so many of you have asked about them I wanted to share that you can get almost identical barstools for a great price right now on Overstock! Hope that’s helpful for some of you. :)
Random pics of life around here lately..
Bike riding with dad.
Kole does such a fun thing in his 2nd grade class.. every Friday he writes a journal entry to someone in his family and then over the weekend we write back. :) This journal will be so fun for him to keep forever full of sweet notes from his family. I love this so much and want to continue this with him next year even if he isn’t doing it in class. Thought I’d share it in case any of you want to start it with your kids too. :) You could even write the letters back and forth once a month if once a week was too much to keep up with. I love how he ended this one “I hope you are having the best day of your life.” Hmmm.. some laundry, housework, computer work and driving kids around. Definitely a top contender. ;)
Leaving Physical Therapy. Another dreadful winter day in southern California. ;)
Sisterly love.
Leaving student led parent/teacher conferences last week. I have lots of good pics of the back of Kenny and the kids lately because I’m always walking at a snail’s pace behind everyone.
What most evenings have looked like the past two months. Thanks for all the love on my master bedroom post btw! I was so happy to finally share it with all of you. :)
I gave Kole this set of Roald Dahl books for Christmas (long time favorites) and we are almost finished with them all. I’m looking for a fun new set of books to start with him. Moms of boys in Elementary school.. what have been favorites?
I seriously love life with a 7 year old. :)
{this pic was taken one week after surgery – which is more scary.. the brace or how white my other leg is? Ha.}
Ok.. this post has already gone on too long but so many have asked on Instagram what the deal is with my knees so I’m going to quickly explain the situation for those of you who are interested. If you don’t care (or if hearing medical issues makes you queasy) just skip to the Valentines ideas at the end of this post! :)
My knee caps dislocate. Both of them. Often. I could be exercising or just walking or whatever and my knee cap will pop out of place and I fall to the ground and have to put it back in place. (I told you not to read this if this stuff makes you sick!). Whenever it happens it hurts so badly (I always cry!) and then I’m usually icing my knee and limping for a week and then back to normal until it happens again. It happened the first time when I was in Elementary school and has been happening ever since. My sister has fun childhood memories of the Easter I ruined the egg hunt because my knee dislocated right when they blew the whistle to start the race and she didn’t get any eggs because she was comforting her crying sister in the grass. :) I dealt with it a lot during high school and college because I danced so much and did physical therapy to help. It happened when I was pregnant with Kole and I hit the ground so hard we had to go to the emergency room to make sure he was ok. It happened once when he was a baby and I was carrying him coming out of Target and I fell and dropped him in the parking lot. One of the saddest days ever for me! Thankfully he wasn’t hurt.
It’s genetic and the reason it happens is because of the structure of my knee. The surgery to fix it is major (it lasted 4 hours) and that’s why I’ve put it off for so long! But the past few years one of my two knees was dislocating at least once a month and I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. To fix it they had to do basically 4 surgeries in one.. break and realign the bone below my knee (I have a fun long scar on my leg from that one), add donor tendons to help keep my knee cap in place, reshape things and then clean out the joint from all of the damage done from years of my knee cap dislocating.
Isn’t that fun!? Are you all so jealous? Ha. ;) I can’t even think about doing all of this again on the other knee. I think I’ll need to wait a year or two for that.
The first two weeks were rough. A lot of pain and the meds made me so sick! My kids have been so sweet through the whole thing. The first few weeks after surgery whenever they were home they were either in bed with me or playing right next to me. The girls help me shower and pick up the house and put Kole to bed because I can’t go upstairs. Kenny has been working non stop covering his work, the kids activities and all of the other stuff I usually do. I have been so grateful for my little family through it all! Things have definitely been different with everyone taking care of mom lately.
I’m doing physical therapy once a week and feeling much better than I was.
But more than anything I’m just so grateful to be done with crutches!
My parents were in town for a week and that was a huge help. Plus I just enjoyed the company. Nice to have people to chat with when you’re spending most of the day in bed! I was glad they were here in time to see Kole’s ancestor program in school. It was so cute. :)
So! I’m through the worst of it and now just have to keep doing my exercises and wear this brace that locks my leg straight when I walk for the rest of February. It has to be so tight to stay in place that it pushes my thigh fat up at the top. Such a cute look. Can you tell how much I love it? Ha. If my X-rays look good in March I will be able to toss the brace and walk normally and I’m hoping the pain will be minimal by then.
Thank you SO much for all of your kind and encouraging words! So many of you have reached out to check on me and offer well wishes and it has meant so much. I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to get back to each of you but please know that I read every message and comment and e-mail and I’m beyond grateful for all of your love and support. I have had quite a few not so fun days during recovery and your sweet words have honestly cheered me up more times than I can count!
Because this post isn’t long enough.. ;) here are a few past Valentine pics and links for anyone looking for ideas!
{Over 10 Fun Ideas for Valentines Day}
This post is full of Valentine decorating ideas, fun Valentines for the kids and our favorite pretzel hug V-day treat.
{Our February Tradition.. Sharing the Love}
Doing this with the kids tomorrow!
{Simple Valentine Party Ideas}
{How to Make a Cupcake Valentine Box}
An easy solution if you need to help throw something together for the kids. Happy February friends! :)
{POST SOURCES}
Wow! That was such a fun doozy of a post to read, Erin. Thank you for all the time you took to pull this together. Always enjoy your fashion posts. You look great in your athletic gear, too! Mostly the brace seems to blend in with your clothes in the pictures. The random photos of your family are always my favorites. Loved the letters back and forth. Oh gosh, I remember teaching second grade. SUCH a fun time. Kids that age are so sweet and eager to learn. The family shot at the school is fabulous. I love that Kole is standing just like his grandpa! And you look a lot like your mom! :) Thanks for the explanation of what goes on with your knees. You poor thing. Had no idea. Wow. So scary when you were pregnant and carrying Kole. I’m thankful you can get that fixed. Gosh, what happens if the other knee pops and you fall ? I hope you don’t mess up all that hard work! Super scary. You are very strong and brave. Thanks for sharing when you didn’t have to. I admire your fortitude. Thanks for the links to Valentine ideas. Hope you have a good week, Erin and that your recovery continues to go smoothly. Hugs!
You are beyond kind Jeanne! Thank you for the time you take to put your uplifting comments together! I always enjoy and appreciate them so much. I didn’t know you taught 2nd grade! It’s such a fun age. My mom taught 2nd for over 10 years and loved it too. It’s the year they are all loosing teeth! Ha! :) I would freeze Kole in time right now if I could. Yes.. I’m so grateful I can finally fix this knee issue too and yes! I’ve been worried about my other knee dislocating while it’s bearing all the weight of the knee I just had fixed! But my left knee was always worse and dislocated more often than my right so that’s why I had surgery on that side first and so far we’ve been good. It will be a happy day when both surgeries are behind me and I don’t have this issue anymore. You know you’re over it when you don’t even care about the scars that will be left behind. I just want to be able to walk and exercise and not think about it anymore! Thank you for your kind words today Jeanne! You always brighten my day. :) Wishing you a good week! As Kole would say “the best week of your life!” ;) xo
What an ordeal you have been through! Don’t you just love genetics?! So happy that you are doing so much better. You have such a great attitude, and a great family!! Love all your posts and I always look forward to them! Thank you for sharing yourself!
Have a wonderful day,
Dawn 💕
I know right!? Gotta love genetics. ;) Thank you so much Dawn! So sweet of you to say. That means a lot to me! Enjoy your day too! xo
Dear Erin, You are my hero! I can’t even think of the pain you must have undergone. It was queasy just reading about it but hats off to you for taking it on the chin and moving on. A longtime reader and admirer.
Oh so sweet of you Priya! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment (it’s so nice to “meet” you!) and for reading for so long. That means a lot to me! xo
Okay, honestly, you really DO make that knee brace look cute. Work it, girl! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Ha ha.. you are too kind Cathy! I don’t know that anyone could make that brace look cute.. but so kind of you to say! Thank you for the smile today. :) xo
Erin, I can totally relate to your knee issues and the day-to-day ups and downs of the recovery process. I had a knee replacement just two weeks ago and am slowly moving through the rehab process. Good days and not so good days for sure! I’m looking forward to the day where I’m told I can put the walker away! (It’s the little things!) Wishing you a speedy recovery! I’ll be thinking of you!
Oh Diane! I’m so sorry to hear that. I know exactly how you feel. It’s so hard! I’ll be thinking of you too! Take it one day at a time right? :) Wishing you the best possible recovery also. I hope your family is taking good care of you! xo
Hi Erin. I’m new to your blog and am so happy to have found you. Love your style, home stories etc.
So happy you’re on the road to recovery from your knee surgery, I truly can’t imagine how difficult the whole process has been. I’m looking forward to future posts.
Oh you are too kind! Thank you! I’m so happy you found me too! It’s so nice to “meet” you. :) xo
thanks for sharing the ins and outs of your knee situation. I can’t even imagine going through that throughout your life :-( I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that and I pray that everything heals as it’s supposed to so you can get back to your normal routine. I hope that as you heal you take it easy and not try to do too much too fast and you can enjoy this “downtime” while you can.
p.s. that journal idea is so great! it made my heart smile :-) take care!
Thank you so much Aria! I really appreciate that. I’m definitely taking it easier these days! And I love the journal too. :) Enjoy your week cutie! xo
Oh my goodness that sounds so painful that I got chills! You’re a rockstar! Wishing you a speedy recovery! P.S. love the Gilmore Girls in the background ;)
Thank you so much Amy! I’m hardly a rockstar but so sweet of you to say! And yes! HUGE Gilmore Girl fans around here. :) xo
Sorry for your struggles with your knees. Glad your recovery is going well. Sending good thoughts for continued improvement! Thanks for keeping us all posted. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Thank you so much Kim! Happy Valentine’s Day to you too! xo
Bless your heart, Erin, you’ve really been through an ordeal! I’m so glad you seem to be through the worst of it and feeling better. Being sick or injured really does make you appreciate your family more and all of the little things we take for granted.
You always look cute, and even more so now with your brace and casual attire. I’ll keep you in my prayers for continued healing.
Warm hugs,
Carol
Thank you so much sweet Carol! I know that you know better than anyone how hard it is to not feel well for long periods of time. It really does make you so grateful for life! I’m also grateful for your prayers and hugs. :) xo
Hi Erin! I have been a long time reader but I’ve never commented! I just wanted to take a second to let you know I love your blog and love seeing your ideas for decorating and holidays and surviving life! Ha! I’m glad that you’re feeling better! Surgeries can be so tough, glad you had some good support! :)
Really quick -if you’re still looking for a book series, I suggest the Boxcar Children books! Great books (with a little mystery in each one) and there are TONS of them so you won’t run out for awhile. :) They might be a little advanced but they are fun books to read together!
Hope you continue to feel better!
Hi Alina! So sweet of you to say hi today! Thank you for your sweet words about my blog.. I’m so happy you enjoy it. Boxcar Books! We love them! I read them with my girls and didn’t even think of them for Kole! I’m so happy you reminded me.. thank you! Loved hearing from you today! :) xo
Oh my gosh I am so sorry about your knees! That just sounds so painful. But you look beautiful and it appress that you are on the mend. I am loving your Valentines decor! Great colors! And that came shirt is everything!! Hope you continue to heal quickly .
So sweet of you to say Susan! Thank you! You made my day. :) xo
Your winter is looking pretty awesome ;).
I love those Roald Dahl books, too. I gave them to my 8 year old for Christmas (he’s in third grade but has had a late start to reading in English because he’s in French immersion–the kids don’t get any English instruction until grade three) and I love sharing the same books with him that I read as a kid. He’s not quite ready to read them all by himself–he tires out after a few pages of reading, but he’s getting there! And I really want him to read books with beautiful writing–so many books at that level are written so poorly! I think it’s a bit easier for girls, because there’s the Ramona books, etc. There seems to be a bit less for boys at that reading level. Please let me know what books you find for him!
Anyway, I’m sorry that you had to go through that operation, and I hope your recovery continues smoothly!
Thank you so much Wilma! So cool he’s in French immersion! I’ll definitely share any good books Kole and I read in the future. :) xo
I just love your blog, getting to know you and your family! :-) I Just got my step-son, Trey, the first four books in the Wally McDoogle series, on Amazon. My brother read them when we were kids, and he loved them. They are a Christian books series, with great titles, like My Life As A Smashed Burrito With Extra Hot Sauce, etc. ;-) Trey and I would often pick out books at the library that had a corresponding movie made about it. We would read the book together, and watch the movie, once we finished the book. The Chronicles Of Narnia series might be interesting, too. I’ll be praying for your continued recovery. :-)
Thank you Tamara! We have the Narnia series, but I’ve never heard of the Wally McDoggle books! They sound like something Kole would love. I’m looking them up right now! YEA. So excited to try them. Thank you for the recommendation and for your prayers! That means so much. :)
You’re welcome! :-D
Oh, gosh. You’ve been through a lot. Sounds like the worst is over, and I hope the rest of your recovery goes smoothly. I have a similar issue with my shoulder, but I can avoid doing certain things (like playing volleyball), and keep it from dislocating. It was always so painful, and sore for several days after. A dislocating knee sounds so much worse! Maybe if the other knee isn’t quite so bad, the recovery will be a little easier? 🤞
Jennifer! So sorry you’ve had to deal with something similar! Never good when something dislocates no matter where it is right!? SO painful. I’m glad you can avoid things to keep it from happening. I wish my right knee surgery was going to be an easier one but unfortunately they have to do the exact same things to the right knee so I’m in for a similar ordeal! BUT I’m hoping I can at least get some alternative pain meds so I can avoid the stomach sickness I was dealing with the first two weeks. Learned the hard way with that one! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! xo
Hi Erin!
I’m fairly new to your blog. I absolutely love it. 💓
So sorry about your knee ordeal but I’m glad you get to have it fixed. Why is the brace on the left leg in some pictures and the right leg in others.? Did I miss something?. I’ll be honest, I don’t always read every word!
Thank you for posting in spite of your situation. May your recovery be speedy and complete.
Hi Andrea! Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoy my blog. It’s nice to “meet” you! My brace is always on my left leg. It just looks like different legs because some pictures (the fashion pics) were taken in front of a mirror and other pics were taken head on. :) xo
Aw, Erin. I’m so sorry you have to deal with such extensive knee problems. Growing up my sister had a similar issue, though it was her heel that had problems. She had corrective surgery a few years ago, and her heel is as good as new! I’m praying that your recovery will also be swift with no more knee problems!
The shirt you are wearing one week after surgery looks amazing! I love dark solids with zipper embellishments. In going through your post I couldn’t help but admire how active you and your husband both are (even with you in a leg brace) ! I’ve subconsciously always used winter weather as an excuse not to be active, but now that I’ve made the move to sunny California I don’t have any excuses, haha.
I wanted to add that I loved going through your decorated master bed pics from the earlier post :-)
–Preetika
Thank you so much Preetika! I’m happy to hear your sister’s heel is totally better. Fingers crossed I have the same outcome! And I know.. sunny California makes it pretty hard to use winter as an excuse for anything! It’s a rough life around here. ;) I’m so happy you liked my bedroom post! Thanks for stopping by to say hi. I loved hearing from you! xo
I must be emotional today or something, I kept welling up reading this. The letter notebook got me the most! I’m not a mom, I’d like to be, but not right now. And I’m good with that 99% of the time, but every once in a while I see stuff like that and it gets me!! And daddy’s and daughters are always a tear jerker for me. Such a sweet picture of them holding hands!
And, lastly, I’m so sorry about all your knee troubles!! It sounds like it’s been a long time coming, but I know you’ll be happy when it’s all healed up. March isn’t that far away! February is already half over. Meanwhile January lasted for a decade, haha.
Oh you are too kind Kristen! I’m so happy you liked the post! I know.. the journal is such a sweet idea. My favorite thing Kole is doing in school this year. It will be such a keepsake! And I hear you on January.. longest month of my life! Ha ha.. ;) Thanks again for your sweet comment! xo
Head smack! What a crack up, I didn’t even notice! 🤪
Ha ha.. :)
Erin, I love your long posts. It’s like catching up with a friend. :) For boy book recommendations, my 8-year-old has really loved The Boxcar Children series, and also the Narnia books (read aloud to him). For independent reading, he likes the Flat Stanley series. My older son liked all the Beverly Cleary books in the Ramona series when he was around that age, and also Encyclopedia Brown. He also really enjoyed reading some of the “I am ___” biographies. His favorites were “I am George Lucas” and “I am Walt Disney.”
Jenny hearing that my posts are like catching up with a friend might be my favorite comment ever. Thank you! That means a lot. :) And I love the book recommendations. So sweet of you! I didn’t think of Encyclopedia Brown! And I haven’t heard of the “I am..” series. Looking those up for sure! Thank you again! xo
Do you know the reason for why your knee caps dislocate? If you’re “double jointed” (actually called hypermobility syndrome) it could be a collagen defect and if your kids are also “double jointed”, you should definitely look into ehlers danlos syndrome. If you already know about it then disregard my comment.
Trish I’ve never heard of that but I’m looking into it and am going to ask my dr. about it next time I see him! I am double jointed and so are my girls but some of the other symptoms don’t fit.. so interesting! Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! I really appreciate it.
Thank you for sharing the real story about your knee surgery Erin! I’m so sorry 😐 that you’ve had the knee problem all your life and I admire you for being so positive in life. I pray that the surgery will solve the problem and your experience will be a tool to help someone else.
Such a thoughtful comment Debbie! Thank you so much! xo
Oh, Erin, your knee troubles (life-long & post-op) sound so painful. I really admire how your sunny spirit shines through even in the midst of this challenge. Best wishes for a speedy recovery & a brace-free March!
Kerry! That is so kind of you to say and means a lot. Yes! Looking forward to a brace-free March for sure. :) Thank you so much! xo
Erin – I am a longtime reader, but I don’t think I’ve ever commented before. But I had to do so when i read about your knee surgery. My knee started dislocating in the 6th grade and continued throughout high school/college. I had an ACL repair in 9th grade but it did not fix the root problem so it continued to happen. I finally had the exact same surgery done 8 years ago (at the age of 40). It was terrible! I ended up back in the emergency room twice after passing out so much from the pain/pain meds. My mom moved in with us for a month because I couldn’t drive (Right knee) or do anything. I scooted on my rear up and down our stairs forever! But I’m here to tell you the good news – it worked! After a very long recovery, i’ve been able to do so many things I was afraid to do before like run to my car in the rain. I’ve run (ok, jog/walked) a half marathon with my daughter, I’ve hiked all over the Pacific NW (we live in Portland), and I continue to workout most days. And yes, I was told that I would need it on my other knee, too, but honestly, fixing one has taken so much pressure off of the other one that I haven’t had any more problems with it. I will keep delaying it as long as possible! The bad news – my daughter has inherited it, too. Her knee has dislocated 3 times now. Once last summer right before she started her freshmen year of college. She wants to delay her surgery, too. So far so good, but I cringe every time I hear her talk about playing intramural sports. And I CAN NOT watch other people’s knee injuries on tv because I swear I can feel it in my knee, too. Anyway, mostly I just wanted to encourage you. It will be worth it in the end. And I love your blog!
Julie! I seriously think I’ve read your comment 10 times! Ha! Honestly it was so nice to hear from someone who has been through the same thing! I feel awful you had to have surgery twice! And your experience with the pain meds sounds even worse than mine which makes me want to cry for you. SO awful! I laughed about you scooting down your stairs.. I was just doing that yesterday! I’m thrilled to hear your surgery worked. My biggest fear is going through all of this and having my knee still dislocate or have it just not work right! I still can’t bend it much so I’ve been stressing that I won’t be able to bend it anymore. I can’t watch knee injuries either! And sometimes I lay in bed and picture it dislocating and just shudder all over! Not sure why I do that to myself.. so weird. :) Like you I want to delay the other knee as long as possible because this recovery has been a lot harder than I expected. And just like your daughter my daughter (Addison) has it too. :( Her knee has dislocated a few times – definitely not as bad as mine (wobbles out and in quickly where mine I have to physically put back in place). We’ve seen a dr. for her and there isn’t much to do at this point but she wears a knee brace when she does anything physical. I’m rambling on forever but mostly just wanted to tell you THANK YOU! Thank you so much for sharing your story with me and encouraging me. I needed that right now. I’m thrilled your knee is now fixed and you can exercise and run in the rain! YES! The rain terrifies me and I walk with bent legs every time it’s even slightly wet outside.. ha! You get it! We are kindred knee sisters. ;) So happy for you. Keep me updated if there are any changes with your daughter.. wishing you both the best! Thanks again Julie! It was so nice to “meet” you. :) xo
I’m reading this blog post late, but since you asked for book recommendations, have you tried the Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar (same guy who wrote Holes)? I’m not a mom OR a boy ;) but these were really popular when I was in grade school among both boys and girls. They’re super silly and funny.
Your knee experience sounds so awful! I hope your recovery continues to go smoothly and speedily! I wonder if I have a similar thing but not nearly as bad — when I was younger, my knee would sometimes “slide” out of place but then it would instantly be back to normal — I wouldn’t have to pop it back in (ouch!!); however, the pain would be AWFUL in the moment and then sore for several days after. It was always so scary when it happened, and most of the time it was when I was running (which … wasn’t often, since I’m not very athletic, LOL!). It now happens maybe once a year, so I can’t complain. But it’s interesting to know this isn’t just me! I did have x-rays when I was a kid but they couldn’t really figure it out. Anyway, back to you — you’re a trooper!
Oh my word Amy! So crazy you have dealt with something similar! I wish that mine was normal after it dislocated! Then I would have skipped this surgery.. ha. :) Knee issues are never fun. I’m so glad it wasn’t worse for you! And YEA for the book recommendation! Thank you! I’m looking into the Marvin Redpost series right now. My girls both read and liked Holes! xo
I’m a long time reader of your blog but have never commented. Glad to hear your recovery’s going well :). I have two elementary aged boys and I just wanted to share some of their favorite series. They love The Bad Guys Club, The Ballpark Mysteries, Notebook of Doom, the Wimpy Kid books and Captain Underpants. I know, a little bit of potty humor! But they are 9 and 7 and they tear through the books so I figure it’s okay.
Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing these! I am ordering them all for Kole! He loves watching Captain Underpants on tv (so painful for me.. ha) so I should have thought to see if they have books too. What is it with the potty humor at this age!? Our boys need to hang out! :) Thank you again for your sweet comment.. this was so helpful! xo
Wow, you are a trooper with the knee. Orthopedic surgery is so much more difficult than most people expect.
In other news, I’m excited to see your hair with the curling iron. I absolutely love your hair when you wear it curly: I have the thickest, corsest, straightest hair in the world. and am so jealous of women who can wear beautiful curls that stay. Please post a photo so I can live vicariously through your curls. Also yes, your post was long, but I like your sort of dump posts. You seem so fun and sweet.
Such a sweet comment Julia! Thank you! This surgery has definitely been more than I expected! Such a long recovery, but I’m getting there. :) I will absolutely share a picture of my hair after I curl it with that curling iron! (Maybe I’ll do an IG story on it too..) Funny you say that because I’m always jealous of girls with totally straight hair.. ha! We always want what we can’t have right? I have to work so hard to get mine straight! So fun hearing from you! Thanks again for your kind comment. It made my day! xo