Around Here Week 02: 01/08-14

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

3 week difference!

photo cred: Abba

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 3+ hours (of 1000)
Enjoying a few days outside after school. It is still very chilly, but the fresh air and little streams of sunshine are healing to all our souls. I took Osa on a pasture walk on Saturday to visit with the goats and the big kids went night sledding on Saturday night after we got a little bit of snow. 

Reading and finishing Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley. I really enjoyed it and from a writer's perspective I loved so many bits of it too. I'll be really happy if it ever turns into a movie because I want to see all the character choices they make. I started reading The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna which is our Project Lit book for this month. 

Boosters for Osa and the vet informed us that she has put on 4 pounds in 10 days. LOL

Proud of Gem for being brave at her dentist appointment. She had a filling to get and she was a trooper. Thankful my mom was able to scoop her from school (thank you!) She also had a baby tooth that just would not come out, even though the grown up tooth was coming down behind it. At the last appointment the dentist had asked her to try to get it out and at Christmas time, she let our cousin Tausha pull it out - so that at least was done pre-appt.

Weighing life options and discussing endlessly our next steps in life. More information coming soon, but right now we are making lists and trying to imagine what our future could look like in various timelines (lol). All very exciting because I am a dreamer, and creator, and imaginer...but also, whoa to all the feels and decisions. 

Totally blanking on snack day this week. Oops! Some weeks be like that. We are all just barely making it out here! I am with you, hot mess express moms of the world! (thanks & love to Mrs. McCall who always extends the most generous grace to us). 

Osa baby girl got a visit to the school district on Friday and everybody just about lost their ever loving minds because she's so precious. There is not faster way to turn a cranky teenager into a smiling, kindhearted big kid than to put a puppy in front of them - hon.est.ly. B took Osa up to the elementary school and admin building too after dismissal and all the adults were swooning left and right. She's just the best mood booster of all time. 

Taking the babies out for a little mini date to McDonalds on Friday night when all the big kids were having sleepovers or hanging out with friends! Haha! We splurged and got them Happy Meals (which are never purchased as a big family, LOL). Oh, these to little ones; life is wild now and time with them feels short - but it's even wilder to think that someday it will be just the two of them at home when their big siblings have all moved out. I don't know - life is crazy. 

Always smiling at Rusty and his meditation practice. My little Gemini (aka Zen or Maniac). 

Fingers crossed for romantic goat dates. Hah! It's about that time for the girls to be interested in a boyfriend and our little borrowed prince Juniper better be up for the job! LOL

Teaching the clothing unit to Spanish 1 which included the Legalos project which always makes me laugh to see their creativity and watch their understanding of noun/adjective agreement grow. Spanish 2 learned about Bolivia as we prepare to start our next novel El Ekeko. Spanish 3/4 worked on their La Llorona inspired short stories and I love seeing their ambition to tackle a full paper in Spanish! Also grading all the papers and projects because it was the last day of the marking period. So many things to grade and so many kids to check in with. I always reach out to the kids that are right on the cusp of a letter grade to make sure they have everything turned in. I had a list of 19 kids spanning the grades that were in danger of failing for the quarter (!?!) but after reaching out to them and pushing them to turn in missing work, the list was shortened to only 8 students who received last ditch efforts but didn't take the opportunity to resuscitate their grade - ugh, teenagers.

Sporting Gemma had two basketball games and a basketball practice. Grey had two basketball practices, 1 basketball game, and baseball practice. B had his basketball game in Franklin in the old guys' league too. Vi and Gem attended basketball open gym on Saturday also

Making kielbasa & noodle casserole (last ditch effort to use up leftovers), spaghetti with meat sauce, tacos and/or taco salad, roasted veggies with Gigi's homemade cheese sauce recipe, meatball sub sammies. We got bogo pizza from our favorite gas station one night and B and I ordered in sushi on Friday night when most of the kids were out of the house. Grey and Brandon made wings on Saturday night and they kids mixed up all their own sauces. We did a bbq sauce with honey, ketchup, and garlic that everyone really liked. I started Keto on Saturday out of the blue - I swear, you just wake up one day and decide that you are ready. I know the first couple days will be frustrating and headachey while I come down from my sugar detox - but for whatever reason, I have the right mindset in this moment, so I'm jumping on it! 

mini goal check in: 
20 minutes outside: 2 days
make-out: 6 days
100 novel words: 3 days
affirmation: 7 days