Around Here Week 10: 03/02 - 08

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

photo cred: Jackie F

Shutterfly Yearbook Basketball dbl page spread

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 12+ hours (of 1000)
Not really up any real time this week because it is still pretty chilly and I am just not feeling it (hah). B did go pick up hay with Grey though on Saturday and we are stocked up hopefully for the rest of the time until the plants and weeds start growing for the grazing! 

Reading and finishing The Wedding People by Alison Espach and I loved it. So funny that I was lol'ing for real. It reminded me a lot of the humor and character personalities of one of my all-time favorite shows Arrested Development.  The biggest reason why it is funny is because everyone is behaving and speaking exactly as you would expect from their character arcs and the story plot. Oh man, I really liked it.

Listening to just music, or calling friends and family on the commute to catch up. 

Taking a proper nap on Sunday afternoon and it was awesome. Olive had found her way up to me and fell asleep too - always the best face to wake up to (your sleeping cozy preschooler). Sometimes you just need rest and at 41 I'm finally learning and respecting that (sometimes). 

Dress up weeks at schools for Dr Seuss week (preschool and elementary) and for Inclusion week (high school). Reddy also celebrated 100 days of preschool and he helped count out 100 froot loops into a baggie to take to share for the celebration. 

Smiling about Reddy learning his letters solid enough that he asks us to spell aloud family members' names so he can write them down. It is the sweetest to find his little handwriting scribbled on papers around the house with his name or Mom or Dad written on it. 

Celebrating Mardi Gras in our annual tradition of Kings Cake with 6 babies baked into it. 

Attempting to go out for a coffee date after work with B but as we were literally pulling out of the driveway, we got alerts of a severe thunderstorm and we drove right back into the garage because we knew the kids would be a little bit nervous. So we made coffee instead in our coffee pot and sat at the kitchen table to catch up. Parenthood, man - it's relentless.

Preschool registration night at my school. B and I attended to fill out the paperwork to get Red and Olive signed up for the PreK class in the fall. We have decided to hold Reddy for another year so he can grow physically and he and Olive will go off to Kindergarten together. They are nearly Irish twins already (just a year and a month apart) and we have never regretted giving Rusty an extra year to grow and play. It's unconventional, but we are feeling good about it and excited for them to go to PreK and join me each morning next year! 

Family yearbook time early on Saturday morning which is tedious but always makes me feel like I got something meaningful accomplished. I got to upload all my photos from February and added in some new pages and did some reworking of the layout to account for how our year as a family are going so far. I really enjoy being the memory keeper for our family, it gives me a lot of peace to know that I am a witness to each of their lives and I have the receipts for it too! 

Dreaming the big delusional dreams of a farmer when the sun comes out a little bit before spring arrives (hah). We were drawing up hopes and wishes about barns and pastures and gardens. Maybe someday is always thrilling to daydream about and with the sun shining and spring just around the corner (hopefully) a girl can dream, okay?

Ice Cream sundaes and a visit with cousins Heather and Caleb. Always such a blessing to get short bursts of conversation in (until a kid interrupts us, hah!) with Heather. The kids shot hoops on the blacktop outside and everybody got in a mountain of ice cream with yummy toppings (thank you for bringing them!) A perfect Saturday afternoon pick me up to visit with them. 

ps. i have already read this book. also wtafffffffff Wanna read it to? I'll suggest: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Teaching the second part of Galapagos Islands at the elementary school (sea lions and marine iguanas!) My 8th grade expo students finished week 1 (including cognates and Puedo ir al baño) and started week 2. Spanish 1 worked through pre-novel activities including Carrie la perrita bailarina, vocab words, and readings about mascotas. Spanish 2 worked on Somos 1 Unit 14 and practiced target structures like: lo que hace and debes hacer. 

Sporting with one Sparks soccer practice for Violet. Gemma and I had a lot of conversations about joining jr high track, but she decided that she wouldn't for this year so she can rest her left leg (bad knee and ankle) and also focus on weightlifting and her 15U soccer team. Grey had the first opening week of spring sports, so he had five days of baseball practices including a post-practice team dinner at Main Moon. B had a Franklin basketball game 

Making pierogies and kielbasa, baked sheet pan bbq chicken with potatoes and green beans, chicken flautas and Kings Cake (with 6 babies!) for Mardi Gras, Spaghetti, 3packet beef roast with roasted potatoes, homemade pizza, broccoli soup, and tacos. 

Sourdoughing: with lots of discard recipes because my discard is just too beautiful to actually discard. I used the discard to make 30 minute cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, chicken balls (to feed to the actual chickens), pizza dough, and blueberry muffins. I also made a proper loaf of sourdough and she was another gorgeous girl! My sourdough's name has changed from Sabrina to Celebrina thanks to Olive's mispronunciation which sounds so much more festive as a name! The kids are still not thrilled about all my sourdough stuff and have started literally asking if everything I make for meals is sourdough - LOL. We had baked chicken and Rusty said, "was the chicken sourdough?!" good grief. 

Around Here Week 9: 02/23 - 03/01

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

photo cred: B

photo cred: Peyton

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 12+ hours (of 1000)
Finally, finally! I little break in the cold weather this week. We got over 40 degrees this week and you'd think it was downright balmy. The kids got some time on the trampoline (Violet taught Rusty how to do a back flip) and I didn't even wear my coat into school twice - I just left in it the car! 

Reading nothing all week because I want to start my two next book club books, but I had to get to my favorite local bookstore Young Heart Books to pick up my order! Thankfully on Saturday, I got to visit and chat with Renee at the bookstore and pick up my order! It is my turn to pick the April book and I was so nervous about picking because it's my first pick for this book club of incredibly awesome and inspiring women. With the support and encouragement of Renee (who got me in the club, hah! love you!) I picked Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (I loved Migrations). Our March book is Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. For my other book club we have The Wedding People by Alison Espach for April and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman for the May book! In my book order, I also snagged - Shark Heart, A love story by Emily Habeck, Strange Pictures by Uketsu, and How to Hold a Cockroach by Matthew Maxwell. I am good and stocked now for a little while! 

Listening to and finishing Things we Hide from the Light by Lucy Score and just full on cackling on my commute to the hilarious detailed descriptions of the spicy scenes. Oh man, has me dying of laughter and turning down my volume because - I know everyone can hear this outside my car. Honestly, though, I do love those Knockemout characters and I think it's because all the men are so good and decent; even if they curse and have a running dialogue of lust running through their brains constantly- they act with consent and protectiveness and solid moral code. I love that the female author, Lucy Score, made an entire small town filled with gruff, handsome, growling, strong, decent men. Like, yes please? 

Burying a goat. Ugh, farmlife is not for the weak of heart. Brandon has been trying to nurse Maggie back to health for two weeks and she passed away this week. It is so heartbreaking to lose an animal, but also it is the way of the natural world.  Rusty and Grey helped B bury her in the frozen ground and we all felt a little sad for a few days. 

Parent teacher conference for Olive at preschool and so fascinated to hear her teachers talk about her separate from our home. Is this a baby of the family thing?! I was laughing the whole way through the conference as they described this independent, helpful, confident little friend to all. And I mean, yeah, I see that could be true - but she is the BABY in our house and she knows it. She whines like a champion, she knows to bat her eyes and all of her siblings crumble to her whim, she acts like she's too little to do plenty of things at home. She's just such THE BABY of the family that to hear about her separate from that role and being a full blown preschooler doing things like a boss girl and building out this life as Olive (and not Loopy Lou the baby girl) had me giddy and astonished. 

Helping Violet choose a wacky outfit for her 4th grade Adjective fashion show. She picked her rainbow onesie jammies with a blue tutu! 

Dodgeball tournament for Grey and Gem to benefit the local first responder departments. Grey played with his friends all day and made it undefeated the whole day until the championship where the upperclassmen beat them in a double win. Gemma's friends played in the jr high competition and went all the way to play a sr high team. They lost but since the sr high team couldn't play in the evening event, her team got to go in their place. During the evening event, the students get to play the local first responders and it is always funny and heartwarming. Then the first responders get the proceeds of the fundraiser and everyone can feel proud of a long, fun day for a good cause! 

Thank goodness for Lamont from Ambitious Cuts who came to give all the boys haircuts! Always in the nick of time because we really needed it - especially Grey and B. We love you Mont! 

Sleepover with the nephews. My sister Uch organizes the annual local Mardi Crawl every year with You in Flood City. So as she organizes hundreds of people in our community to visit local bars and restaurants to promote our incredible small business owners - I get to host a sleepover for her sonnies at our house which makes our whole family happy! 

I feel like I've already read this book. Want to read it too? Try: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Teaching about the Galapagos islands at Eagle View - this week we learned about Galapagos Sea Lions and Marine Iguanas! I got a new group of 8th graders for my Expo class, which means we've hit the halfway mark to Quarter 3 (unbelievable!) Spanish 1 worked on scripting and filming personal interviews. Spanish 2 did a week long verb conjugation boot camp because we needed to tighten it up a little bit and they did awesome! I attended the FOR Club meeting on Tuesday and after reviewing old planners to see the best course of action to prep for my next units - I found a March educator challenge from 2023 (thank you Renee!) and I remade it for this year and I hope to share with any fellow teachers who need a little 'look for the good' for the longest month of the teaching year: March! 

Sporting with an official in between sports seasons week! That means evenings with little or no practices and games! Rusty finished out swim season with his final swim meet at IUP at the Novice championship. Even with his sore throat and sinus infection - he swam great and had so much fun. Violet had one Sparks soccer practice and Gemma had a Gators soccer practice and started offseason weightlifting. Greyson had a baseball pitching practice, baseball open gym, he turned in his basketball equipment, and he attended the Varsity football Weights and Wings off season lifting night. B had a old man's basketball game, he attended the weightlifting competition at Ligonier high school with some of his football players, and then hosted the offseason kick off event Weights & Wings on Saturday. I reserved our hotel room and confirmed with cousins for the summer soccer tournament. I also re-certified the high school athletes for spring sports and created a flyer for our neighboring co-op football high school to try to get the boys interested in coming out for football this season. 

Making baked ravioli, sheet pan chicken fajitas, takeout pizza & hoagies from Fox's, ground beef tacos, homemade stromboli, cheese quesadillas, chicken gravy over butter noodles. Red and Olive helped make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too.

Sourdoughing with some discard chocolate chip cookies!

Gemma Rose, thirteen.

 Dear Gemmi, 

My gorgeous girl (you know the voice we say that in). A real teenager now and so full of all the very best parts of girlhood. Every day you fill our home with outbursts of laughter, hearty eye emojis, and dance moves. But the best part of girlhood is through shared connection: eye to eye, sharing the daily updates from our lives, randomly bursting out inside jokes, and little pick-me-ups throughout the day: a candle lit, the laundry already switched, a hot drink delivered. 

My Roie, everyday I can't believe I get to be your mom. I can't believe I get to be your mom. I can't believe I get to be your mom. 

You love specialty coffees, yogurt parfaits, and snack plates, but are always willing to try new foods. You have so much rhythm and a spontaneous dance party is always just on the brink of breaking loose if you are around with a speaker nearby. Music blasting and you twirling and moving like you've been trained in contemporary dance all your life. You love Meghan Trainor for all her self love lyrics (I Want to Thank Me, and Been Like This). But you also listen on repeat to love songs that make you heartsick for all the great loves and breakups of your future. Your obsession for romcoms can easily compete with mine and you dive into tv series and movies that have you floating through the house with big ideas of love and grand gestures. You've especially loved Gilmore Girls, New Girl, My Life with the Walter Boys, and The Summer I turned Pretty. 

Now that you have your phone it has been so fun texting with you and seeing the Youtube shorts you think to send me. Most of them making fun of mom and daughter relationships with you captioning, "but why is this us though" with a crying laugh emoji. Your text exchanges almost always include a "love you" , or a random lengthy update, or a perfectly selected gif.  Maybe that's not a huge deal - but after texting with your brother and his one word responses for two years  - I can assure you texting with you has been a delightful revelation! 

As a sister, you are top tier. You consider Grey; buying him his favorite ice tea if you get to run errands and texting him to make sure he knows the schedule. You attend his games and are so proud to be his little sister - but always trying to stay on the right line of 'not embarassing him' (hah). You help Violet with her hair and give her outfit suggestions and share food. You find ways to connect with her even though you are so different from each other. Rusty, Reddy, and Olive are babied by you quite a bit - knowing they can look at you with puppy dog eyes and get you to do just about anything; from making them something to eat to doing their chores for them. You shower them with hugs and kisses and compliments and they will grow to be so self confident in your adoration. (thank you for that).  You are always willing to 'stay home with the babies' and it feels like a new level in parenting when I can run to the grocery store without buckling car seats and carrying both bags and kids! You are a great big cousin too and fawn over your little cousins always asking if Aunt Uch needs a babysitter. 

You are an awesome teammate and friend. You talk through the whole game - giving positive affirmations when a teammate does well or shouting encouragement when the going gets tough. You encourage teammates to run off the field or court; to keep their heads high; you dole out high fives constantly. Lots of people are always telling me and dad about how good of an athlete you are, but we are most proud when parents and coaches from the opposing team have regularly come up to us to say, "I love how your daughter talks during the game - she is such a force of positivity for her team!" You have the heart of a leader through the manner of believing so much in everyone that your teammates have no choice but to believe in themselves and rise to the expectation you have inspired in them. 

Already, by seventh grade, you are involved in a lot of things and you love being given responsibilities and trust. You played defense for the jrhigh soccer team, you played forward for the jrhigh basketball team, and you're preparing for a 14U AYSO soccer season, and a 15U travel soccer season. You attend confirmation year1 classes and volunteer opportunities at church, you take yearbook photos, you are a member of jrhigh student council, and you assist the trainer during Varsity football season. After a home playoff game, you cleaned up the bleachers without anyone asking- earning you a personalized thank you note from the superintendent. Your teachers send you to complete little errands or trust your notebook as an example for students who were absent the day before. If me and dad need a chore done, we rely on you (too often!) because we know you'll do it as good (or better) than we would. 

You love being the one asked to help, 

you love to do the helping and meet or exceed expectations, 

you love being the one to come up with the idea on how to help. 

and, GIRL. 

It is sometimes so dizzying to look at you and see a mirror - not just in the way we look - but in the way we find validation for our worthiness. 

I want to celebrate that in you because you ARE so trustworthy and responsible. 

The world actually does need you and YOUR (very specific Gemma Rose) help. 

But I am also determined to find a way to let you know that you don't need to be helping to prove your worth. 

My baby girl, 40+ years and I am still trying to internalize that to be true. 

One of my greatest hopes for you is that you learn that so much sooner than I have. 

That you can know deep in your bones and full in your heart of how incredibly valuable and worthy and amazing you are without having do to a single thing. 

Because, my gemmi - you ARE incredibly valuable

and worthy

and amazing

exactly as you are,

laying in your bed under comfy blankies watching 18 hours of romcoms 

or sneaking out your stash of sweets in the pantry hidden where your siblings can't find them

or blasting music and dancing around the backyard shaking your booty like a 1990's music video

or face mask drying with your hair in curlers sipping chai tea

or room covered in a clothes explosion (honestly, how?!) asking to borrow my sweater

or mud on your face and straw in your hair chasing down the goats in the yard

you are valuable and worthy, my darling girl.

always, always, no matter what.

love you forever and ever
and ever.
never being done of ever.
through space and time and tears and laughs.
forever loving you, Roie girl.
Mum

Around Here Week 8 02/17-22

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

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Becky C

photo cred: Uch

photo cred: Uch (that's me under there - sick with fevers and chills, hah!)

the birthday kids

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 11+ hours (of 1000)
THE COLD. THE SNOW. THE ICE. I just can't anymore. I know it's only February and obviously it is still winter - but usually at this point we have had a few nice days that we could enjoy the sun and outdoor playing. It has just been relentlessly cold and windy. The kids need out of the house (hah), I despise wearing winter outerwear, everyone's hot breath and germs are just recirculating in the house and schools....we need some ventilation of fresh air and a major dose of vitamin D, please! 

Reading and finishing The Push by Ashley Audrain. It was good and definitely had great pacing. It reminded me so much of the movie We Need to Talk About Kevin which I haven't seen in probably 10+ years but it still regularly haunts me (very unsettling and great movie). I really liked the very raw, physical, brutality that Audrain used to describe motherhood - because FOR REAL. So battered and broken and giving of all the things (mind, body, and soul) that you're so deeply connected which is somehow also completely disconnecting. Great book, but very unnerving. I sent some book club notes with Renee to the meeting since I couldn't there to discuss What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon (thank you for sharing for me!) 

Listening to The Things we Hide from the Light by Lucy Score and I very quickly remember how much I enjoy the Knockemout characters. Actually Lol'ing at some of the scenes because they are so hilariously crude.

So relieved to finally get the truck key replacement!? The truck keys went missing two weeks ago (B? Olive? Dropped in the snow and ice somewhere?) So we have been trying to deal with driving Jillian (the Honda Pilot) and Lucille (the 12 passenger 2 wheel drive) in this weather for the last two weeks. It has been maddening but we finally were able to secure a locksmith at our house to get the replacement keys made. Thank goodness!! The truck is back in business and you really truly don't know what you got till it's gone, man. 

Laughing though because it is just always a three ring circus. I drove Lucille home on Wednesday night and couldn't get up the driveway (ice/snow) so since the truck finally worked again - B was like just stay there (half way up the driveway) and I'll pull you up with the truck. While I'm sitting there (on a steep grade) the gas light comes on. B is trying to hook up the ties and then tries to pull it up but can't get a good grip. Then Lucille runs out of gas (LOL) and I don't want to back it down the driveway, so we have to switch places but I can't let my foot off the brake until he puts his foot on. LIKE COME ON. Then he backs down with no power steering because, of course.  We did make it to the bottom and park Lucille down there and then walked back up the driveway to the truck because nothing is ever normal - I swear.

Visiting the art show at the elementary school where Violet was showing her mosaic art work. Thank you to the incredible Mrs. Williams (our elementary STEAM teacher) who is always encouraging and supportive to all our kids - we love you! 

Celebrating our thirteen year old! Gemma Rose turned 13 this week! Don't mind me blowing up 13 balloons at 6:30a for her bedroom (LOL). She got some very sweet messages from her aunts and friends throughout the day (including a special video message that three senior football players were convinced to make for her! Girlhood at its finest!) She requested pineapple meatballs over rice for dinner and we sang over rice krispie treats. Aunt Uch took her for a facial and eyebrow wax at Swanky with lunch out to eat too! (thank you). She got gifts from her grandparents and she has decided to hold off on a party until the weather is nicer. This girl - how lucky we are to be in her orbit.

Helping Grey finalize his schedule choices for his sophomore year. Time is crazy. 

Getting slammed with the germs. Rusty and I woke up on Saturday morning laid up. Both with fevers, chills, and sore throats. My parents took Rusty to stay for the day and then sleep over (thank you!) it was such a blessing to just let him rest and hydrate. I mostly laid under blankets (and had the kids lay on top of me because I always want pressure on me when I have fever/chills - is that normal?) I did nothing all day but lay and drink hot tea. B and I watched two episodes of The Night Agent season 2. I really don't have time for this (LOL) but one whole day of not moving should help me bounce back because #motherhood 

Wishing a very happy birthday to Pappy who celebrates his birthday one day after Gemma. And so did Grey's bestie twin friends Bryce and Reed - happy birthday to you boys, we love you! We went to Dino's restaurant in Latrobe to celebrate. 

I'm not the only one right?! This is the same storyline as so many historical fictions AND historical nonfiction books. Everywhere I look and read is just patterns. Don't try to gaslight me, I know I have read this book!?!

Teaching my elementary students about the Galapagos Islands and we learned about Charles Darwin, Green Sea Turtles, and the Galapagos Giant Tortoises. My Spanish Expo class worked through the geography week and Spanish 1 continued with verb conjugations but focusing on the Super7 verbs. Spanish 2 read Chapters 10 & 11 and closed out the book with a speaking quiz. I also met with my Spanish teacher mentee and she is the absolute sweetest and so clearly cares about her students. I am so grateful to get to chat with her and bounce ideas off of each other about teaching Spanish. We discussed things that are going well and what goals we have for the next month.

Sporting with two swim practices for Rusty to prep for his last upcoming swim meet and Violet had a Sparks soccer practice.  Grey had three basketball practices and the last two basketball games of the season. I texted my 5u AYSO players' families to introduce myself and give some important dates and I created the Weights&Wings flyer for the football offseason event, 

Making cheesy broccoli chicken and rice, bbq deer meat sandwiches, pineapple meatballs over rice (Gemma's birthday dinner request), Pioneer Woman skillet lasagna. I made Gemma's request of Rice Krispy treats for her birthday dessert. 

Sourdoughing: blueberry muffins with discard