Around Here Week 1: 01/01-01/09

Sunday, January 17, 2021

 A glimpse into what it is like to live in our just this moment.












 

Intentional Outdoor Hours:  1+ hours (of 1000)
I took a 2 mile solo walk on Saturday morning and it was so lovely. It was chilly and by the end I was honestly contemplating calling Brandon to come pick me up so I didn't have to walk up our driveway hill (hah!) but I made it and it felt so good to be in the open air, moving my body, just me and baby sis kicking away in my belly. 

Reading Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward at home and Bear Town by Fredrik Backman at school. I also listened to A Piece of the World by Christine Baker Kline on audible during my Saturday morning walk. (Kline is also the author of Orphan Train which I adored and the same person - Polly Stone - narrates it and I like her voice. The narrator is honestly a make/break deal for me on audio books!)

Watching the entire season of Bridgerton on Netflix with Brandon on New Years Day (hah!) Violet and Rust had a day and sleepover with my parents (Abba and Chum) and Grey spent the day and sleepover with cousin Caleb (thank you Heather!) so it was just us, Gem, and Red at home. Red was pooped so he slept off and on all day while Gemma was more than happy to sleep, take the longest shower known to man, and watch a million chick flicks on the laptop in my bed. Laziest day of all time - but whew, how much we appreciated it. 

Marveling over the giant clusters of snowflakes on afternoon. The kids literally all got up from the lunch table to run outside because it was so incredibly beautiful. Magic in nature!

Hitting the halfway mark for our babyiest sister! We have a short list of color girl names, but it changes regularly and we keep finding new ones that we like and changing our mind on others. Guess we will just have to see her sweet face before we know for sure. Still accepting suggestions of course! 

Skipping our Orthodox Christmas tradition of sleeping under the tree this year. The two biggest asked about it and seemed bummed (me too a little bit) but with this weird start to the year of virtual learners, me back in person with students, a 9 month old with a bedtime, and parents being so tired every night - it just kind of slipped away from us. Next year!! 

Looking toward the new year with open hands and heart for accepting signs from the universe on how to move forward in life. Thinking a lot about being a family of eight, frustrations with systems out of my control, childcare, activities and our over involvement, passions and writing, and living intentionally. I don't have a clear idea of how to make it all work together, but I also know that it's not doing this; this supersonic speed blur and overstuffed/too much stuff way we've been living. Do I have a weird obsession with families who live in converted vans and travel? yes. Do I love tiny homes? yes. Do I want a huge garden and more farm animals? yes. Do I love teaching? yes. Do I feel so much frustration and brokenheartedness over the way public school works in our country? yes. Do I want to wear an apron and bake bread and hold babies all day long? yes. Do I have novel/memoir writing thoughts banging around my skull all day long? yes. How do you find a way to live it all with passion and gratitude? I don' know. Speak to me 2021.  

Winter sporting with a CT basketball practice and 2 basketball games for Greyson with his Storm team. He is practicing and playing in a mask and so happy to be back on the court with his friends. 

Teaching back in-person again! Our school aged kids spent the week with Brandon at his office while I was with my students this week. Because of our on again/off again schedule the past few weeks, I had movies that my students were due on watching and so it was basically an ease-back into it after break with a movie week! Spanish 1 learned about Christmas traditions (el día de los inocentes y los reyes magos) while Spanish 2 completed the film unit for The 33 (one of my favorite things to teach every year because of our local connection - 9 for 9 Quecreek mining rescue and the drill that reached the Chilean miners is from Berlin, PA!) Spanish 3 finally got to watch La Llorona after finishing the novel and their short stories before break. Spanish 4 got to watch La Luna Misma since they finished an immigration unit before break.  

Making a deer roast in the crockpot, breaded porkchops with haluski, creamy Italian crockpot chicken, veggie and cheese soup, and getting take out of Coney Island sundowners.  I have been loving Greek yogurt parfaits (with blueberries, pecans, and honey) for breakfast; highlight of my mornings! We had a cousin pizza party with the Rummels and Garretsons and the kids loved running all over the place, even outside for a long while. 

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