Around Here Week 34: 08/21-08/27

 A glimpse into this BACK TO SCHOOL week that is always a reminder that the days are long but the years are short. 

photo cred: Nanny Minnie

photo cred: Nanny Minnie

LOL, Rusty!

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 613+ hours (of 1000)
still able to squeeze in a couple hours this week despite the madness of the first few days of school.

Reading and finishing Upgrade by Blake Crouch. Finally finished a complete book in about 3 months (good grief!) I picked up and continued 1000 Hours Outside by Ginny Yurich at home and Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras during school hours. 

Moving the guinea pigs to school! Toffee and Queen Barb are moved in and cozy and ready to make some new high school friends! 

Checking off our back-to-school traditions. The kids all signed their signature sheets from their baby books and Rusty got to write on his for the first time! I read The Kissing Hand to Rust the night before school (gah, always gets me), and the kids all picked their future profession for their first day of school posters. We had confetti muffins for breakfast on the first day and everyone's favorite dinner that night!

Starting the new school year! We have a seventh grader, fifth grader (last year in the elementary school!), second grader, and a freshly minted kindergartener! Everyone had a great first three days of school and positive interactions with all school personnel; bus drivers, teachers, principals, lunch staff, custodians, and specials teachers. How incredibly blessed we are to live in a community that cares so passionately about our young people. We love you, CT. Thank you for taking care of my precious babies during the school day. 

Deeply grateful for our nanny Minnie! I was so nervous to leave my velcro/pandemic babies for the school year, but Nanny Minnie has been so patient and sweet. By day3 Reddy wasn't even crying during the morning goodbyes! I am so glad the cousins are spending the days together and Minnie has them outside, reading books, and having sweet fun all day long. What a blessing she is to our whole family - I cannot express how grateful I am, truly; the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders for this school year! We love you Nanny Minnie!

Celebrating my 39th birthday! It's not that I hate my birthday, it's that I hate the inefficiency of my birthday (hah), I still have to be my normal speed/self as a mom/teacher/wife/daughter/ sister/friend/human so then everyone making a fuss over me slows me down and distracts me from my normal speed of life. What a freaking brat - I know! So I like little to no big deal because I have stuff to (keep) doing! Truly though, if I'm being more serious about my birthday feelings - I feel love and support the whole year, a day special just to me feels like it's just too much. I am loved so deeply and well and I will never be able to express my gratitude for that.
   Luckily, all my family and friends know and respect this (I am so freaking blessed) and so the love is shown for me all year round (!!) and in little non-intrusive ways on my birthday. B brought me sushi for lunch at school, Abba left me donuts in the fridge for breakfast with a little candle and she and my dad ordered teacher clothes and shoes for me for the first day of school! I received so many thoughtful and meaningful texts and voicemails, lots of hugs (my favorite gift!), a new sleek coffee pot from my sister (we are obsessed), gifts including an awesome new water bottle shipped to me from cousin Heather, and ice cream cake from B to sing on the back porch with the kids. My sweet friends Jenn and Becky took me out for lunch and pedicures on Saturday too - no kids!! I barely knew how to behave, hah! It was the perfect, mostly completely normal day birthday. hahha. thank you all for loving me just as I am. 

Pausing for gratitude for my own momma who did all the work to get me into this world 39 years ago. And then never stopped loving, guiding, and supporting me all the way through my life. xxxo. love you, mum. thank you, happy 39th momiversary to YOU! 

Sensing the start of camo season. It begins with trail cams being checked regularly. Grey caught a doe and two fawns, a turkey and her babies, a fox, and a pretty nice buck on his trail cam this week! 

High fiving B that we did it - hah! We made it through the first day of school, leaving the babies with the Nanny, each having a full time job, both coaching the kids sports (me for Gems' cheer and him for Jr High football and helping with Varsity football) and trying to get through normal day chores and needs of a house of eight people, two dogs, three goats, and a flock of chickens and ducks on 13 acres. We did it!! I mean it was only three days this week, but it's a start and we are going to have to celebrate every freaking mini milestone this year because holy hell; this life we made is a three ring circus, but I love doing the high wire act with you, B. (yes, obviously we are Zendaya and Zac Efron in this scenario #slayallday)

Teaching the first two days of school! Oh man, like I never left. hah! It is great to be back with the students again and teaching content that I love so much. I don't like to start the first day of school boring - so we don't do rules & procedures until we are a whole week into school! The first two days are about making a second language accessible through hand gestures, enthusiasm, and cognates. It's also about building classroom community through dancing Friday tradition and silly games that build confidence and friendly competitiveness. It was a great start to the year (even if I'm completely exhausted and in a full sprint all day between my seven classes totaling 100+ students)  #lovemykids #lovemyjob 

Sporting Violet had two flag football practices this week while Gemma had one practice where we painted our run-through signs for the football games. We switched up the half-time routine to include basket tosses and the stunt groups are pumped and loving it. Grey had practice everyday this week right after school (which has been pretty handy only having to do pick-up). On Thursday night, we all went to the community pep rally held at the high school - the  kids had a great time getting glitter tattoos and face paint. The new elementary school principal was such a great sport about being in the dunk tank! We also attended the Varsity football game on Friday night since it was CT (our kids' school) vs. NS (the school I teach at!) B sits in the box and helps with offense at the varsity games too! 

Making sheet pan kielbasa and veggies, baked sammies on Hawaiian rolls, sloppy joes & mac and cheese, Copycat Olive Garden chicken over pasta, Beef Roast in the slow-cooker with potatoes and veggies, and beef stew with leftover roast. We also ordered in pizza after the football game on Saturday.