Around Here Week 21: 05/22-28

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

photo cred: Jess Z (thank you for sending!)

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 198+ hours (of 1000)
It is full blown summer time and the hours are coming naturally now. Over 22+ hours this week mowing grass, being outside with the babies in the morning and afternoons, and at sporting events. Very close to earning my next 1000 hours app badge of 200 for the year! Why is getting badges/stickers so motivating? Apparently I am still a fifth grader at heart? 

Reading and finishing The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. It was beautiful and I loved it so very much. Top five favorite books ever (!!) and will definitely be re-read in the future. it was brilliant. I started How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong which I heard about while reading The Atlantic article that I read earlier this year and am STILL thinking about. 

Hiking Yoder Falls with the kids and cousin Caleb. We all needed a little time to explore together and burn some energy on Sunday night - so we headed out in the drizzling rain and had a good time trying not to slip in the mud and leaves (hah). The huge boulders, all the moss, the bright green leaves on the trees - it was exactly what our weary souls needed to calm and get ready for the last two weeks of school. The big kids all got into the water while B and I smiled from the side doing all the parent worry calculations in whispered breaths ("probability of a snapping turtle in there? probability of a broken glass on the bottom?" ughhhh, parenthood - that difficult task of mentally assessing the risk and then letting them do it with an encouraging smile on your face even if you're holding your breath the whole time). 

Starting to get organized for our final Studer's Invitational Beer Olympics - eek! Bittersweet.

Attending (and crying) at North Star graduation. Gosh, this class of kids has been such a joy to teach and watch grow up. They are going to be changemakers and joy-creators, and inventive thinkers, and inclusive collaborators - I am just so blessed to have been a small part of their journey. I can't wait to see all they will continue to do out in the world. Congrats to all the graduates of 2022. 

Getting in all the final field trips. Violet went to Camp Sequanota with her class and Grey had a field trip to a stream. They had raised fingerlings (baby trout) in their classroom, but something happened with the power over the weekend and the water temperature wasn't regulated so all the fingerlings had died from the water temp getting too hot (!) It was terribly sad, but they still did the field trip and learned cool stuff like tying specific knots and how to tell the distance by walking and he had a good time.

Purchasing a Ruggable for our living room! I have been swooning over them for the past few months and I finally just finally did it! I'm so stupidly excited to be able to wash our living room rug after the kids spill all.the.things on it constantly. I feel like with a big family, I deserve this: a washable, beautiful rug (LOL, old lady much? give me this one small happiness in peace!) I ordered the Kamran Cayenne Red in 6x9. If you are thinking of going washable and beautiful - feel free to use my code for 15% off on your purchase! Code linked here

Looking at my kitchen table with my six babies sitting around it with tears in my eyes on a school night when dozens of families in Texas went home to empty kitchen tables. We don't have to live like this; we just need to be willing to put our foot down and demand better for our kids - for all of us. It's going to take a lot more than gun laws, but that seems like the most obvious first step toward a better, safer world for all of us. 

Admiring all our flowers blooming this week. The butterfly garden is bursting with blue flowers and my peonies have 11 buds on the brink of opening. Our gladiolas all opened this week (eek!) and the trees have definitely green'ed all the way up. Everything is looking bright and summery!

Reflecting on a quote from my book How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong. I am enneagram 2 (and a Virgo!) so it is very very easy for me (and beneficial to my soul) to give help but very very hard for me to ask for help. I know how dumb that is, and my poor family and friends who love me so well have just thrown their arms up and done the thing I needed them to do without asking because somehow they read the tired lines on my face and just know (thank you and I love you). But I am trying to be better and this quote has really got my heart stirred up to think about asking for help in a new light that maybe will empower me to overcome my enneagram tendencies. 

"It's okay to ask for help. In fact, by doing so, you are taking part in the divine circle of giving and receiving. While we often focus on what the request means for the asker/recipient, we should remember that giving can be transformative for the helper...By not asking for help when you need it, you are blocking that flow." 

Helping out with Gemma at 5th grade promotion. While the 4th grade moms helped prep the mini reception after the event, our 4th graders handed out programs and welcomed 5th grade families. Gem was proud to volunteer and also congratulate a bunch of her 5th grade friends who are moving on up to the middle school next year! 

Back Porch renovation project'ing. B and the kids cleared all the stuff off the back porch and then our interior tongue&groove and back door arrived on Friday afternoon. Brandon and Pappy installed our new back doors on Friday night (omygosh, is it possible to be in love with a door? because I am I think). Our former back door only had two tiny windows in the very top, but our new door has a half window and the screen door is farmhouse-y and being able to see out into the backyard from the hallway is oddly blissful. Chum came first thing Saturday morning and he, B, Grey and Gem spent the day hanging tongue and groove and installing electrical outlets. Pappy came on Saturday again too and what a blessing it is to have handy parents. (I've said it a million times, but it is the truest). 

Cheering for runners at the Path of the Flood Race at the You in Flood City aide station. Even Olive was getting in on it - standing and clapping while runners came up the road towards us- hah! 

Sending Violet off with Abba and Chum for a sleepover. She got to go bike riding and golfing! So thankful for that special one-on-one time with grandparents - not much better in childhood! 

Attending the first graduation party of the summer - my student Kalena! So proud of her and grateful to stop by her party (Grey, Rust, and Olive came with me) to give her a hug and well wishes as she heads off to the next leg of her journey in life. 

Sporting with two baseball games for Grey, and two soccer games for Gem, Violet, and Rust each too. Gem also had two 10U soccer all-star practices. B and I played in our co-ed summer volleyball league on Tuesday and had such a good time moving and playing with our Cats team. Thankful for my parents who took Gem to her game (and Olive!) so that B, the rest of the crew, and I could head down to play in our volleyball game (thank you!) 

Making spaghetti, bbq chicken sammies, cheese quesadillas, Pioneer Woman's bowtie lasagna, and copycat Olive Garden chicken over pasta. B picked up pizza one night and I made snickerdoodles for the kids. 

Keto check in: back down 0.6 lbs. We had buffalo cauliflower, tilapia with brussels sprouts, Philly cheesesteak bowls, and tuna & broccoli casserole. We are still really loving the Keto no bake style fat bombs (with shredded coconut!)