A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
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| photo cred: Deanna Maurer |
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| it must be September! (only 25 days until Violet's birthday! LOL) |
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| photo cred: Coach Joel |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 632+ hours (of 1000)
We snuck in a family walk one afternoon just around our yard/forest (we call it 'the tree stand loop') and Red can walk the whole thing on his own two legs. At my big, beautiful oak tree on one of the corners of our property there were like 25 or more monarch butterflies all swooping about looking for a place to rest for the night. It was so lovely and wonderful - exactly what all of our tired souls needed - a little time outside with the sky way up and the ground under our feet and butterflies flying all around us.
Reading 1000 Hours Outside by Ginny Yurich and Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras. It was a slow reading week because we are still getting into the groove of the new school year and also, exhaustion.
Figuring out homework/studying. Since we are officially into school, the homework has made its way home. Thankfully (good Lord bless our children) our three biggest kids need pretty minimal reminding to get their stuff done each week. We have no amazing managing system to share (sorry) we just set a strong standard that the kids are in charge of themselves and are expected to get their stuff done, study, and know they can always talk to their teacher. We are here to help if they need us (or buy the extra stuff for projects) - but they are in charge of themselves when it comes to school work. We aren't expecting any valedictorians but we do expect they do what the teacher expects and they try their hardest. If they can do that - we have no probs, if they can't - well, I bet they'd rather not want your momma to micromanage your afternoon and evenings. So our kids are really good about taking advantage of doing homework on the bus (hah, but for real) and making sure they empty their folders each night. We also hang up reminders on the fridge or add them to my planner - otherwise it's every kid for themselves after Kindergarten! Rust is getting into the groove with support and reminders. So, so far, so good.
Laughing at Violet's birthday note to herself from herself (most middle child thing ever). But that means it is officially September and we will now hear about her birthday literally every single day for the next 25 days until that sassy, wildling turns 8!
Calling in support on Wednesday for Grey's game. My mom headed over to our house to get the kids off the bus and relieve Nanny Minnie (thank you Abba!) so that B could pick me up from school and we drove over to Grey's first game/scrimmage for Jr. High at North Star. The game ran longer than we expected so in a last minute clutch move my dear friend Olivia and her son Bennett (Vi's flag teammate) swung by to pick her up for football practice (thank you!!) It's a lot of moving parts everyday, but we are figuring it out and thank goodness for people who pinch in when we are fumbling.
Being flexible on Thursday when our kids' school had a surprise 'snow day' for a busted water line in the community. They were pumped to get an early start to the weekend (they already had Friday off for Labor Day). But since we had no set plans, B ended up taking off of work and staying home with the whole crew.
Making arrangements for Friday when the kids had no school for the holiday weekend. Everyone gets redistributed. Grey stayed with Valentines and then ended up sleeping over (thank you Jenn & Joel!), Gem had a sleepover at my parents' house on Thursday night and spent the day golfing and hanging out (thank you Abba & Chum!). Vi and Rust spent the morning with Brandon at the office until Brandon's parents picked them up to spend the day swimming (thank you Pappy & Gigi!). The babies spent the day at home with Nanny Minnie and B and I collected everyone back up at the end of the day! Whew! We definitely get by with a little help from our friends & family.
Getting (big time) bummer news. Our Nanny Minnie (who we have fallen in love with over the past two weeks) was offered another job that will better suit her family and their needs. We completely understand - we are mommas trying to do what is best for our families too - but we are heartbroken. She has been so good with the kids and just really seemed too good to be true (gah, it was). So happy for her, but so sad for us. Back to the drawing board - we get one more week of Nanny Minnie and then we need to have a new plan in place. Send all the good vibes (and suggestions!)
Loving our new coffee maker (thanks again Uch & Kev!) The big kids are constantly asking for cappuchinos (or at least creamed & sugared up coffee with frothed milk!) What a difference such a simple upgrade can be to normal life!
Sprinting through the weeks and then pumping the brakes hard on the weekends. Aw man, by Friday afternoon, it feels like we are rolling home with the wheels off. Luckily the Varsity football game was on Saturday, so we all just got to go home on Friday night and collapse and rest.
Teaching Spanish 1 the song and dance to Los Pollitos Dicen (always a favorite) and teaching days of the week vocab. Spanish 2 did some baseline writing (my favorite!) and reviewed verb conjugations. Spanish 3/4 learned about Tomatina and we had our annual Tomatina with tissue paper "tomatoes." Every class had their Questions & Procedures overview including our active shooter plan. It makes for such an emotional day for me because I get choked up every single period reminding them how I will do anything to keep them safe and how we all need to take care of each other. I tell them that I hate talking about this, but my job is to keep them safe and how I keep them safe is first by making sure everyone knows what the plan is and secondly by being someone they feel comfortable talking to if they hear/see things that make them worried.
Sporting with the first week of fall sports games! Violet had her first flag football game vs. Meyersdale. She played running back, QB2, and middle linebacker. After she got comfortable with running back and realized how it was going to feel running past/through the other team, she went for it. She ended up running in two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion. Gemmi and the majors cheerleaders did great with the first half time routine debut and the girls are so great about being leaders and responsible on the sidelines. It's hardly work at all to coach them, they did great watching the game and requesting their own cheers for the entire game. Coach Brittany and I are so proud of them! Grey had his first JrHigh football game this week too against North Star. He plays QB1 and Safety. The size difference for boys 7th-8th grade is so extreme (some kids have already started to fill out and and some haven't quite yet) so he took a couple big hits but hung in there. I love watching him and his teammates play. Grey had three afternoon practices, Gem had one practice and Vi had two practices this week. B helped at the Varsity game on Sunday at CV and took all four big kids with him so that the babies and I could chill at home.
Making chili over noodles, ravioli casserole (the kids love this!), shrimp alfredo, ground turkey tacos, chicken spaghetti casserole, hamburgers and cheddar brats on the grill, and sheet pan kielbasa and veggies. B brought home take out pizza and sushi after the football game on Saturday (he loves me!)
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