A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
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| photo cred: Jenn V |
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| photo cred: CT Media class |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 68+ hours (of 1000)
The buds are starting to come out - on the pear trees at least! Dandelions and daffodils are brightening the place up too and I am so grateful to see sunshine and color outside. I took a basking nap in the front yard on Thursday and Friday afternoons (my favorite springtime recharge activity).
Reading and finishing Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Sheesh, it was such an undertaking not only because it was a big 'ole book but also because of the various storylines and characters and timelines. For awhile it felt like I was wading through thick weeds getting glimpses of the beauty that I knew was there...and then it started to clear out and I could see how everything was coming together and whoa. mind blown and excellent. Not an easy, lighthearted read but a moving one and I'll always be grateful to have read this story. Excited to discuss it at book club! Next up, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Listening to Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
Excited for Violet who earned a spot on the CT fourth grade Scrabble team! She had after school Scrabble practice this week. Then it is a couple more practices before the big Scrabble tournament in May where she will compete against other school districts!
Poor baby Osa girl had her spay surgery this week. She did great in surgery and now she has two long weeks away from the goaties in the den while her stitches heals. So far she's doing well and getting plenty of walks and outside (controlled) time. We had to move the chickies into the basement though to keep them safe and the goaties are all confused because Osa isn't there at night. It feels like everything is a little out of whack with the farm flow - but I feel glad to have that task done!
Teeth check for Gemma and B. Regular dentist appt for B and an ortho appointment for Gem who learned that she might have only until the end of summer for her braces left! Fingers crossed because she cannot wait to get them off and I cannot wait to see her smile with teeth again!
Signing the kids out of the upcoming standardized state testing like I have every year. Grey will take the Keystone Algebra exam this year but the younger kids have never taken the yearly PSSA exam at my request.
Shopping trip with the babies on Thursday. I had full intentions of doing some 'bunny shopping' when I got a text that the daycare was closing due to a water line break! So I picked up the two munchkins instead and we picked out the boys' Easter outfits (Grey and Reddy will be matchies! and Rusty got something special for his First Holy Communion). We got lunch together at Italian Oven and played on the playground. They even got to ride the Easter train at the mall (sweetest conductor who sang Peter Cottontail!)
Playdate and visit with the Fiores. My Kate and her kids came over to spend the afternoon on Friday and it was sunny and wonderful and chatting with her makes it feel lighter and more full at the same time. (love you xxo). I got to talk books with Sophie (my fav!) and the girls tried to time their laying out with the UV of the day - who knew having a teen daughter would mean I always know the UV (hah).
Back to back birthday party sleepovers for Violet. She celebrated her friend Kaylee on Thursday and then her friend and Sparks teammate Brookie on Friday night! Lucky, happy girl.
Attending 'spooky' mass on Good Friday. Gemma, Violet, and Rusty all volunteered to help with mass and it was beautiful and heartbreaking as it is every year (my favorite mass of the year!) We call it spooky because the lights are slowly turned off and candles slowly put out and there is a thunder sound and hammer sound. It was Rusty's first year (I let the kids come if they are getting ready for their first Holy communion).
Shopping with Gemma on Saturday morning. She picked out her Easter outfit and we got her shoes for the semi-formal. We also got bunny supplies (nothing like last minute?!) and it is a blessing every darn time to have that girl to help me do the chore I dislike most of all (shopping).
Blessing and First Birthday party for our nephew Blair. The Blessing ceremony was so beautiful and intentional (as it always is when my sister Uchie is in charge). I was honored and grateful to be chosen as Blairy's guidemomma alongside Kevin's long time friend Jeremy as guidedad. I am so proud of my sister for the amazing job she is doing as a momma to these nephews that are and always will be absolute perfection - my sweetie boys. After the ceremony, we all headed down to ACRP playcenter for food and fun. One whole year of sweet baby Blair - we are so lucky to get to be his family. Love you Blairykins.
Bounce House Injury for Reddy! We still aren't quite sure what is up but the x-rays didn't show any major breaks, so at least for that. He is in a sling for now and hopefully it will stop bothering him and he will be all good. We are under orders to follow up with the pediatrician if it is still bothering him next week.
Horrified and disgusted with the glamorized way we are removing people from our country with no due process. The videos and social media coming out of the administration is shocking every single day. The blatant disregard for due process is terrifying and should be alarming to everyone. Protection from persecution is like the whole thing - the whole reason anyone ever fled to this country and why they believed we should create a new country in the first place. It is the root of the root and the bud of the bud of a place called the USA. History will remember the names Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Mahmoud Khalil and our grandchildren will ask us what we did when the constitution started to flake away. I hope you are living in a way that will make them feel proud to be yours. The poem "First They Came" by Pastor Martin Niemoller should be on repeat in your mind right about now:
First they came for the Communists - and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialist - and I did not speak out
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionist - and I did not speak out
because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews - and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me
And there was no one left to speak out for me.
Creativity assignment: how could we be inspired by this poem to write a version for today?
First they came for the immigrants - and I did not speak out
because I am not an immigrant.
Then they came for the protesters - and I did not speak out
because I am not a protester.
Then they came for the judges - and I did not speak out
because I am not a judge.
...
Teaching a short holiday week (thank goodness, teachers and students alike were all feeling a little overextended). My elementary students practiced color words with a Pascua color by word paper and we did an ELA practice run for the PSSAs. Spanish Expo finished week 2 and Spanish 1 worked on Ser vs Estar some more. It was hard to keep everyone on pace this week because I saw one of my Spanish 1 classes three times and the other Spanish 1 class only once due to assemblies and club period. Spanish 2 finished the week with some practice in Direct Object Pronouns. I also finished a letter of recommendation for a former student and sent it off (proud of you Caliya!)
Sporting quite a bit. 5uAYSO had one practice, 10u AYSO had two practices, Violet had a Sparks soccer game and two 12u AYSO practices. Gemma had two Gators soccer practices and one 14u AYSO practice. Grey had a Varsity baseball game with extra innings at the Point Stadium (everyone was freezing by the end -hah!), and then three more Varsity baseball games and one baseball practice. I did a little work on some Baseball Booster tasks too.
Making meatloaf with roasted potatoes and carrots, meatball sub sammies, chicken fajitas, buffalo chicken dip and shells & cheese. I baked some sprinkle sugar cookies for the weekend, chocolate croissants for breakfast, and I made haluski to take to Blairy's birthday party.
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