Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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7 Things I Learned in November

November 30, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment


I’m going to spare you my rant about how November got away from my completely. Team Taylor did lots of fun things, some of which I allude to here and others I’m still hoping to blog about. I’m getting over a cold and gradually getting into the Christmas spirit.

But first, let me share seven things, in no particular order, that I learned this month … 

1. Forehead thermometers aren’t accurate for babies younger than 6 months.

Well, here I am with my third child, and I thought she had a fever. Maybe she did. But maybe it wasn’t really 100.5 because forehead thermometers aren’t accurate when said baby is only 6 weeks old. She had been congested, so I took her in to get checked out. She was fine and I felt a little like a brand-new mom.

2. “Chasing Life” isn’t going beyond two seasons.

I’d never heard of this show, which has apparently been on ABC Family, but binge-watched the first season a couple months ago. I was so excited when Netflix emailed me to tell me the second season was available. (Netflix knows me, y’all.) I watched those 13 episodes like I had nothing else to do and then Google told me the show had been canceled. Yes, I was Googling to find out when season three was coming on so I could set my DVR accordingly. Bummer.

(My new Netflix addiction is “Hawaii Five-0.”)

3. Cate spent the first 2-plus months of school sitting on a dictionary.

I know you’re thinking, “What? Why?” because that’s what I thought when we were in the McDonald’s drive-thru and she made a comment about getting used to sitting on hard surfaces. Um, why child? Turns out her desk is too tall, but when it’s lowered to the next level, it’s too short. After telling me about how the dictionary solves the height issue, she told me she sometimes tries to sneak a seat in her friend’s chair because he sits on a desk chair cushion.

I ordered her the same desk chair cushion – although in a different color – from Amazon right there in the McDonald’s drive-thru. In other mom confessions, that was the second time I had been in the McDonald’s drive-thru THAT DAY. The first time was that morning for a large Diet Dr Pepper for myself. The second time was that evening for a large Coke for my best friend.

4. A Thanksgiving road trip to Buffalo, NY doesn’t necessarily mean snow.

People thought we were crazy for going, but we wanted to visit my sister and her family, so we went anyway. Two of the days we spent there were in the 50s. Okay, so the other one was in the mid-30s, but there was no snow.

Of course, there were no babies either. My sister is almost 37 weeks pregnant with twins, and I was not-so-secretly hoping she’d go into labor while we were there. She didn’t. But I was glad to hang out with her , her husband, and her almost-2-year-old son.

(More on our trip coming later this week.)

5. Liane Moriarty is my kind of author.

I read “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” this summer while sitting by the pool. This month I read “The Husband’s Secret” and “What Alice Forgot” then started “Big Little Lies” on our way home Sunday. I like the way the stories are told using various characters who are somehow intertwined. There’s a mystery element of what’s going to happen next or be revealed from the past that keeps me turning the pages.

6. Six or seven hours is a decent night’s sleep.

Y’all know the hardest thing about a newborn for me is the interrupted sleep. I prefer 8 or 9 hours every night. Honestly, Rachel has been a trooper from the beginning – waking up once or twice in the middle of the night to eat and then going back to sleep. Well, when we were in Buffalo, she slept 6.5 hours one night and then 7 hours the next night. THAT’S LIKE ALL NIGHT IN NEWBORN SPEAK. Last night, she managed six straight hours during her first night back in her own bed. I’ll take it … and be hoping for even longer stretches!

7. I can eat buffalo wings with one hand while feeding a baby.

It’s true. I had my doubts, but I managed. And then my brother-in-law Zac informed me I was just perfecting my wing-eating technique because he prefers using one hand so the other stays clean. Yes, we ate wings while in Buffalo. Seemed appropriate.

How was your November?

_____________________

I’m linking up with Emily Freeman, like I do at the end of every month. 

{2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 
{2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 
July. August. September. October. November. December. 
{2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. 
July. August. September. October.


Want more insights? “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

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Filed Under: books, food, motherhood, Rachel, road trips, Things I Learned

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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My friend Delana called before she brought us dinn My friend Delana called before she brought us dinner yesterday and asked if we liked chocolate pie. Um, yes. Turns out both Peggy and I love chocolate pie. Delana gave us chocolate chips cookies too, you know, just in case we didn’t like pie.

My friends are loving on us so well this week with dinner & dessert, obviously. Yes, the food is good, but the way they saw a need and met it is even more gracious. (I wrote a book about gathering & nourishing your people!) Having someone provide dinner has freed up some mental space I’m able to use for taking care of Peggy and parenting my kids, some of whom have needed a little extra love and guidance this week. 

Peggy is nine days removed from open heart surgery with quadruple bypass and is doing well. She had a good check up with her primary care provider this morning. We’re thankful for our community of people who continue to pray for us, feed us, and provide help, like today’s impromptu preschool pickup when an appointment ran long. (Thanks, @katie_cunningham85 & @tstanger25!)

#bettertogether #momlife #reallife #morethangroceries #choosingJOY
We are all happy to feel some sunshine today! ☀️#thirdchild #catsofinstagram #winter #choosingJOY
Sweet @ashleelyoung brought us delicious dinner to Sweet @ashleelyoung brought us delicious dinner tonight and the dessert became a craft. I’m so thankful for the way our people love us. 💛 #bettertogether #reallife #choosingJOY
Today is National Milk Day, so Saputo, which has a Today is National Milk Day, so Saputo, which has a dairy plant here in Murray, donated chocolate milk for all the kids at @ncca.lions. This girl has never turned down chocolate milk and basically celebrates milk every day. #momlife #reallife #thirdchild #nationalmilkday #preschool
Honestly, I’ve been in a reading funk. I’ve qu Honestly, I’ve been in a reading funk. I’ve quit one book and started another today, so we’ll see how that goes. 

I did finish this one by @booksbyheather last week and enjoyed it. I loved the Southern setting, charm, and magic. And I loved how the characters untangled assumptions and expectations from their pasts to find where they belong.

What are you reading these days? #amreading #bookstagram #fiction #recommendedreads
I’ve said “I don’t know” more times the pa I’ve said “I don’t know” more times the past few days and months than ever before. I’m a planner, and I’m apparently raising kids who want to know the plan for the day and what’s coming next. Perhaps, really, that’s human nature. 

But I don’t know. 

I don’t know how Covid will affect school, basketball, and summer vacation plans. 

I don’t know how long Gran-Gran’s surgery recovery will take or what she will need from us. 

I don’t know if it will snow. 

I don’t know ... 

There are at least one million things I don’t know. But I do know this was a good weekend to hunker down inside, meet our new cousin/nephew/grandson, eat warm food, and praise God for the way my mother-in-law is recovering from quadruple bypass surgery.

#TeamTaylor #weekending #reallife #livingfaithfully #bettertogether #choosingJOY
I’m happy to report my mother-in-law Peggy is ho I’m happy to report my mother-in-law Peggy is home ... well, at our home, which is her recovery home for the next several weeks. We are grateful for all the prayers, so keep them coming as she recovers from quadruple bypass heart surgery. 

We are also grateful for all the offers to help. Today I accepted them from the @puperson27 (and @carolinemaetompkins & @norah.grace.t), @megandelaneythomas, and Julie because I needed a whole village to get my kids to and from various places and various times. 

And these flowers are lovely, courtesy Friendship Church of Christ and @serenityhcarr. Thanks, y’all!

#TeamTaylor #reallife #weekending #bettertogether
I bought a recliner that doesn’t match and only I bought a recliner that doesn’t match and only awkwardly fits in our living room. When two guys delivered it today, I looked at it up against the couch we bought last year from the same store. 

When we bought the couch at the beginning of 2020, we had no idea how much it we would use it. This house has become a refuge for us. We’ve sat in those gray cushions while having church at home, binging countless seasons of Survivor, watching some basketball games and Christmas movies more recently. Rachel has taken naps. Cate has claimed her favorite cushion. Ben will always have blanket near. 

Now we have this random recliner we never expected because Greg’s mom, Peggy, who is dear to me, had quadruple bypass heart surgery this week and needs a safe place to land when she’s discharged in the coming days. She’s going to recover here, and I was worried she would sink in the couch cushions without using her arms to push herself out. 

The recliner won’t live here forever, and Peggy probably won’t either! But the whole furniture setup is a reminder we don’t know what the future holds. This past year taught us about interrupted plans and smaller social circles. I’m thankful I had a soft place to land with my people and I want the same thing for my mother-in-law, who didn’t even know she had heart problems until recently. 

So here’s to finding refuge in the places that make sense for whatever season we find ourselves. #choosingJOY #socialdistancing #livingfaithfully #reallife #thirdchild
I’m sharing #ontheblog today about creating fami I’m sharing #ontheblog today about creating family unity. Of course, this is always a work in progress around here, but commitment, compassion, communication, compromise, traditions, and Christ all help get us there. While #socialdistancing has required all kinds of adjustments, the time together has allowed for more family game nights, home church on our couches, and deeper bonds within our home.

#linkinbio #bloggerlife #reallife #momlife #thirdchild #TeamTaylor #choosingJOY
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