Four Plus an Angel by Jessica Watson

Life after loss with autism, preemies and a rainbow baby

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When your bucket is empty

By Jessica

Today I picked up a prescription alone. I sat in the car for four, possibly five, glorious minutes and checked Facebook on my phone while I ate a pack of miniature Cadbury Eggs I didn’t have to share. And then my bucket was full. Well it wasn’t full but it was full as could be at this point […]

Growing Old Healthy

By Jessica

I was compensated to share my thoughts and feelings about Henry Ford Health System but all thoughts expressed are my own.  My grandmother turned 90 in July. For her 90th birthday present all of the grandkids put together a video of our favorite memories with Grandma. The memories ranged from special trips for ice cream […]

101 Reasons to Homeschool

By Jessica

We’ve already been homeschooling for seven years. How did my kids even get old enough to be in school for that long? We started homeschooling by trying it out for a few months with just McKenna and now here I am schooling three kids at home, hoping they all want to continue for years and […]

On the other side of grief

By Jessica

Nearly every time I take my three youngest out in public a sentimental senior citizen reminds me to enjoy them while they’re young or mentions how quickly they will grow up, how precious these days are. Sometimes they offer their advice when the kids are holding hands and happy and no one has fought over […]

When the world did not stop

By Jessica

If you’ve suffered a life-changing tragedy you have a date, maybe two or three where the world was supposed to stop but it didn’t. Where you were looking out your car window or down the 8th floor waiting room hallway and wondering how these people were functioning as if this were any other day. How […]

The only way through

By Jessica

grief over the years

Years ago when I saw a therapist regularly she often reminded me that I needed to feel my way through all the feelings of losing a child. She said if I pushed away the grief or tried to stifle the urge to cry I would never get through those miserable days of searing pain. They would keep returning– […]

12 Books you should read this year

By Jessica

I use to be pretty good at getting a post out of my favorite books two or three times a year. Now I’m lucky to get a post up about anything two or three times a year. If I’m not writing I’m living right? Or something more along the lines of reading everyone else’s books, getting to […]

Parenting through the in between years of childhood

By Jessica

With my youngest now seven, I can open the door to our car and my kids all just get in and when I cook dinner there’s a decent chance I’ll get to eat it while it’s hot. My kids are all aging out of the neediest* part of their childhood and as much as I worried about […]

Not Alone in the Universe

By Jessica

We went to see Suessical last weekend. In case you don’t know the storyline it’s about Horton, an elephant with a big imagination, who connects to a Who named JoJo with an imagination the same size. JoJo lives in Whoville, a town the size of a spec on a clover, so no one believes Horton when he tells them […]

Holiday Clothing Drive 2016

By Jessica

This will be the fourth year I’ve hosted the Holiday Clothing Drive. I had to skip 2015 because life and sanity, but missing a year seemed to make our whole family even more anxious to get back to it for 2016. Plus the kids are two years older so I have more people to help me not […]

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About me

Jessica Watson

I'm Jessica, 40-something mom to five, four in my arms and one in my heart.

On any given day you will find me taxi-ing teenagers, mopping up our latest "art project" and trying to remember when I turned the crock pot on… all the while, looking for the closest Starbucks drive thru.

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autism tab

grief tab

teen parenthood

Favorite Posts

  • A musical life
  • Always be you
  • It's not permanent
  • My One
  • The Stone

@fourplusanangel on Instagram

Is your house getting quiet as your kids get older Is your house getting quiet as your kids get older? Get a teen who rescues animals. Our house guests just keep getting more interesting. 
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#devotedbarn #rescuepig #olivetherescuepig #animalrescue #friendsnotfood #pigsofinstagram #neveradullmoment
Finally don’t have to worry about looking at the Finally don’t have to worry about looking at the right spot in a selfie.
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#skiiing #maskup #puremichigan #getoutside #isuckatselfies #familyskiing #motherhoodunplugged #pineknob #parentingteens
Love the first good snow, and not just because it Love the first good snow, and not just because it seems to insulate the noise level of my boys when we bring them to the barn.
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#horsesofinstagram #willowtreestables #firstsnow #puremichigan #boymom #motherhoodunplugged #barnlife
We decorated really early this year but I’m alre We decorated really early this year but I’m already finding myself disappointed that soon the decorations will come down. I love the softness of a home decorated for the holidays and coffee in front of a tree every morning.

I wish this year could be more “normal” but I’m not mad about the extra time I’ve had with kids who are at an age where they’d be more than happy to leave us for long stretches of time.

I’d love to shrink them into elf costumes and Christmas countdowns and easy surprises.

#parkerpretends #parkerpretendsforchristmas  #costumer #holidays #christmas #parentingteens #motherhoodunplugged #tbt
She would live in a barn. For real. . . . . . #mc She would live in a barn. 
For real.
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#mckennakaren #farmgirl #barnchores #momlife #horsegirl #motherhoodunplugged
We changed up our nails in support of @trevormicha We changed up our nails in support of @trevormichae1 today. 
As a mom I want to thank you Trevor for leading the way for us. We need to see you ahead of us and happy.

Hoping our manicuring sessions last long past when we can head back out into the world post pandemic.

Love my brave boy and am pretty impressed by his polishing skills. One more thing he can do for me when I’m old and even less coordinated than I am now.
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#teamtrevor #genderstereotypes #colorstreet #motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodrising
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