A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
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| photo cred: B |
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| photo cred: Greg R |
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| cousin Gracie |
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| photo cred: Shannon L |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 571+ hours (of 1000)
Big 'ole snow storm this week - our kids even had a snow day! - so they were happy to get some time out in the snow sledding. We are in need of some new sleds though; hope you're listening Santa!
Reading By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. We had our Lit Ladies Christmas party at Rizzo's this week. Violet got to join us because she had a soccer game right before (thank you book club for being so sweet to her!) We had good food, great conversation, and a little secret Santa gift exchange. It was a great evening and our next book was selected: The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.
Listening to Christmas music all day every day. Current favorites include: Ready for Christmas by Tabitha Meeks, Sugar Cookies by George Strait, Christmas Song by The Ravonettes
Marco , our elf, is back! He arrived on 11/30 and started his antics on the first of December. Everyone was so happy to see him again and he is getting lots of snuggles and love. He sat on our lifesize Santa's shoulder, read some Christmas books, brought donuts to celebrate Rusty's half birthday, Toilet-papered the Christmas tree, sat in the garland like a hammock, and turned our milk green.
Christmas movies: Noelle, The Knight Before Christmas, The Santa Clause
Christmas prep:
- attending the family activity for first week of advent at St David's with the kids making countdown activities
- addressing half of our Christmas cards (Rusty & Violet stuffed them all and stamped our address label on them on their snow day! grateful for that!)
- designing and sending out our Christmas Eve Party invitations (always thankful for Canva!)
- picking out the Christmas cookie recipes I would like to make
- making a shopping trip run on the cancelled day of school (thank you Miss Emma for keeping the babies!)
- making notes in my planner of upcoming school-related holly jolly = 12 days of Christmas dress up at the babies' Pre-K, 1 week of dress up at the elementary school, $5 gift exchange day for Rusty, movie day donations for Violet's class (they will finish the novel Holes before the winter break! I got Peach shaped napkins after first making sure their teacher was good with the possible 'butt' jokes - she said yes they were good - hahh!)
- Rusty and Violet got to shop at their Santa's workshop at school (thank you PTA)
More camo and orange as the first weekend of rifle continues through Monday. (In Western PA, we have off of school on the Monday after Thanksgiving every year because of whiteteail deer rifle season!) The hunters spent all day Sunday and most of Monday out in the woods hunting (still nothing!) and we had 'butcher shop' night at our house with the Gilmore cousins.
Shrugging about my future arthritis because braiding three daughters' hair a few times a week (and in sports seasons sometimes teammates' too!) is doing some real damage to my joints. After braiding, I have to stretch my fingers out because they honestly feel stuck?! Brandon said he will do all my zippers and buttons for me when I someday can't move them from over-braiding hair. LOL, but not kidding.
Celebrating a half birthday! Rusty turned nine and a half this week! He requested cake mix chocolate chip cookies for his dessert and we had sloppy joes and mac & cheese (his favorite dinner).
Getting a pedicure - first one in honestly years and it was so wonderful (and needed - yikes). I feel like a new person. If you really know me - I hate sitting in a chair for self care (LOL). I hate having a hair appt, massage, pedicure/manicure, facial. It's the time that it takes, and also the money, and also the not being able to do anything else. (hahhaha, very unhealthy enneagram 2 of me, I realize) But the pedicure was worth it and I am so grateful (plus it was on my 100 small things list!)
Grey's Christmas formal on Saturday. We rushed home from the basketball tournament and he had 40 minutes to get ready (thankfully I ironed and picked up our bouquet and boutonniere from Grace & Bloom at Becky's house in the morning before the tournament) He asked the beautiful (and sweet friend) Leah to be his date for the dance and they went with their whole friend group. We got pictures at Leah's house and then headed downtown to our friend and very generous Kristy from Flood City Cafe who opened her coffeeshop up just for her kids and their friends to take pictures and eat before the dance (thank you - you're amazing!) I got to hang out with Violet and the other moms, especially Becky (my kids' bonus mom) while we took pictures and waited to transport the kids to the dance. They all had a great time and then spent much of the night hanging out at Gina's house for the post dance hangout.
Time with family and friends. Olive and Red got a whole day with their cousins thanks to Miss Emma and Uchie (thank you so much!) Violet and her friend Giada babysat for us while Brandon and I went to Grey's basketball tournament on Friday night. Grey had team dinner with his basketball team at Applebee's after practice this week.
Thinking of all people around the world. Everyday praying for Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, American immigrants, American farmers, American democracy.
Teaching only two and a half days this week! Monday was off for deer season, we had a two hour delay on Tuesday due to snow and sleet, and then Thursday we had a surprise day off due to an abundance of caution when a threat was made to the district (!) Grateful that the district acted with caution on our behalf. Elementary students learned about Chile and I had my Expo students for just a few days before switching to a new group of eighth graders. Spanish 1 reviewed and read more of their capibara novel (only one chapter left to go!) and Spanish 2 started Somos 14 and learning about chore vocabulary.
Sporting with an indoor soccer game with the Sparks for Violet. Gemma had two basketball practices, three basketball games, and one indoor soccer game with the Gators. Grey had two basketball practices, a basketball game, and a basketball tournament (2 games). Grey's team earned Champion at the basketball tournament at Central Cambria and Grey made the all-tourney team.
Making meatball sub sammies, crockpot potato soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken and broccoli alfredo, sloppy joes and mac&cheese (Rusty's half birthday request), turkey and gravy sliders on Hawaiian rolls, We finally cooked the turkey (!) and slowly ate it throughout the week on sandwiches. For breakfasts I made banana bread twice! For desserts, I made cowboy cookies and cake mix chocolate chip cookies for Rusty's half birthday.
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