Around Here week 18: 04/28-05/04

Monday, June 3, 2024

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


photo cred: B








selfie cred: B



Photo cred: Jenn V







selfie cred: Gem



photo cred: Miss Emma



selfie cred: Aunt Kitty

photo cred: Aunt Kitty

photo cred: Miss Emma

photo cred: Jackie F








Intentional Outdoor Hours: 70+ hours (of 1000)
IT'S HAPPENING! hahhaa, the effect the weather has on me is honestly unhinged. But the blooms are in full bloom, and the grass is the greenest, and the sun be shining, and our car windows are down and good grief my soul feels like it's wings are spreading! I even did some trimming of our lilac bush for a kitchen table display. Thank you spring, keep on a'coming! 

Reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.

Listening on my commute to TTPD almost everyday. Guilty as sin Charged.

If I said it once, I've said it a million times - the way through hard times with the kids is SNACKS. hah. The kids and I had a two hour timeframe at Roxbury park while Grey had pony league practice - so it was playground and a walk and a picnic snack of granola bars, chippies, and water to get us through. During spring sports season, we just keep boxes of snacks and water bottles stocked in all the cars because the need for snack fuel is constant. 

Giving squeezums to baby Blair. Grey got to meet him and we had a little visit with Uch, Kev, and the boys. They are doing amazing in the first weeks of the Rotten 8. They are awesome parents and my nephews are experiencing such a magical childhood through them. Love youns - thank you for these boys I adore so much. 

Trying to breathe through some fog of anxiety. It's a mixture of world news, spring sports, the last week of teaching and moving into daily-changing schedule to finish the year, illness in the family, and general mom weariness of kids growing at rapid speeds. I am trying to be graceful with myself, taking some walks and outdoor time, and working on getting enough sleep. But anxiety in me looks like very early mornings with a racing mind, trying to dissociate through reading or scrolling, and the feeling of heavy pressure in the middle of my chest. I'll get through it, but we could probably use the reminder that everyone we know is probably carrying around worries and could use a little more patience and grace. So be nice out there. 

Adding a few millworms to our family. hah! why not? Violet brought them home from school so she can watch them go through their life phases to turn into a beetle. Don't mind Reddy, Liv, and I chanting "SHOW! US! YOUR! PUPAS!" Saturday morning as Vi rolled her eyes at us and showed us her changing millworms. 

Family bulk meat preparation. LOL. never in my daydreams of my future did I envision all my children and my husband around a table packing a bulk order of ground beef into freezer bags - but here we are. Stocked from Fisher's Country Store and ready for a few more months of having ground beef on stock in the deep freezer.

Clapping and cheering for Gemma at her chorus and band concert this week. I always get teary-eyed at their concerts (especially band). They did amazing and she looked beautiful and grown; so proud of all those musically talented kiddos. 

Giving B a big hug after he officially finished budget season with his final submission and presentation. It is the final leg of his first year in a new school district and really the big finale for a business manager of a school district (hah). He cares so much about doing right by the teachers, students, and community so worked tirelessly on the budget. I am so proud to be his wife. 

So very touched by the (surprise-to-me) write-up in our local Johnstown Magazine. My baby sister Uch wrote in about me for Mother's day and it was one of the 50 selections for their Mother's day issue. It was the kindest article that included my love for teaching (released right at the start of teacher appreciate week) and I feel so seen and loved and so undeserving. Thank you Uchie. xxo Crying for eternity about it. 

Attending North Star's prom (our 8th as a couple, LOL). I was so grateful that NS let me attend as a chaperone to be with my kids and teacher friends to celebrate. I even got to crown the princess and queen! Everyone looked gorgeous - I always appreciate getting to see the kids all dolled up and happy together. 

Kitty & Bryan update on the PCT: made it to the 500 mile mark! (500+ miles on their own two feet!!) They made it to Hikertown and even got to visit with one of our distant cousins who lives in CA; she is our grandfather's brother's daughter that Kitty got to meet for the first time this week! 

Teaching for my last week as long term sub as the teacher I was in for her maternity leave returned on Friday! For the rest of the school year, I will be floating around and doing whatever needs done in the district (subbing in the elementary, middle, junior, and high schools where necessary) I closed out the week with doing some elementary lessons on Papel Picado. I had two days with the newest 8th grade EXPO class, Spanish 1 finished Unit 5B and took their test. Spanish 2 worked on irregular preterite verbs. 

Sporting with two U10 games for Rusty and Violet, one U12 game for Gemma, Sparks had 2 practices and 1 game, Grey had a JR&S practice, a school baseball practice, and two school baseball games. Grey also attended opening day for the youth baseball fields - it was a meaningful opening ceremony (Bravo to the CTYL baseball board for organizing!) Brandon played in his Franklin basketball league too! 

Making spaghetti, baked Hawaiian roll sammies, Every-man-for-himself snack & scrounge (that was their own choice!), meatball sub sammies, chicken, broccoli, & rice casserole, take-out pizza. 

1 Month of Keto in and still feeling good and strong about it. It is so nice to not feel lethargic all day and to not feel like I'm just waiting for the next time I get to eat (that's sounds crazy, but seriously). I have bulletproof coffee each morning and that keeps me energized and satisfied until lunch. We have this great little coffeeshop that popped up near my school and once (or twice!) a week, I stop after school to get an iced sugar-free mocha with almond milk and it's honestly a bright spot in my week (haha, shout out to Hom)

1 comment:

  1. I laughed at your "guilty as (sin) charged" about the TTPD listening you've been doing. Same, girl, same.
    Seeing your biggest baby holding the littlest baby in your family made me feel all verklempt! Awww!!
    I have been having terrible anxiety this week, same as you, with pressure in my chest and a general sense of impending doom. I am facing substitute teaching for the next school year and it has me feeling unmoored and disappointed. I had really been looking forward to having my own classroom and with our levy failure and the financial mistakes our district made in the budget, it's not in the cards. I wonder if not knowing exactly what your days are going to look like through the end of the year is contributing to your anxiety. It's so hard.

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