Around Here Week 35: 08/24-30

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

photo cred: Onara C

photo cred: Chum

photo cred: Shannon L

photo cred: Shannon L

photo cred: B

photo cred: Stacy B

photo cred: Stacy B

photo cred: Violet

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 455+ hours (of 1000)
Gemmi took a walk with me on Saturday afternoon and it was nice to spend some one-on-one time and chat. The boys fried chicken wings on Saturday night and we invited the grandparents over for wings and a fire on the patio. Still getting the most hours at the fields for sports though. 

Reading Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Happy the outside of the house is all done! Mr. Darren came up this week and finished all the little parts that still needed siding (we had to order a few more pieces). He also made us beautiful custom steps for the front and the side. Brandon, Gemma, and I took turns powerwashing all the outside patios and the difference is insane. What a wonderful experience of immediate gratification it is to powerwash! Now if we could just keep the roosters off the patio (!?!!) 

A free fall (no parachute! hah) week into the back to school cyclone! Whew - we jumped right into the deep end and found our way back to the top before we ran out of air - so that's good. Hhahaha, but for real - that first few days of everyone back to school and trying to get into the swing of things is so wild. So many random things I forgot to do until I was needed (like putting money in the babies' lunch accounts), all the random paperwork that is needed for powerschool and behavior contracts and syllabus signatures, and book covers! It was pretty wild, but we did it and things seem to be okay so far. 

Celebrating my 42nd birthday! I had a wonderful day that was nearly exactly "normal" but with all the most special non-intrusive delights sprinkled throughout. The first day of school for my students (and the babies) fell on my birthday - so it was a day of firsts and figuring it out but so good. I wore new clothes (my bday gift from my parents - thank you!) and I had an incredible smoothie bowl from Good Day Juice Company delivered to my room by my best zero cousin Heather along with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of chocolate chips to keep in my desk from her (you know me so well - I love you! xxo). So many text message, voice messages, and comments wishing me a happy birthday. The kids and Brandon got me an ice cream cake for after dinner which B cooked for me (shrimp and scallop alfredo!) and two beautiful purple mums and lots of my favorite Aldi chocolate bars. I am loved so well and dearly by my people. What a gift it is to get older. I am so very grateful for this life and for all of you. 

Feeling pretty proud of myself that I had it all together on day 2 of full back to school. I got everyone to where they needed to be and checked in with B that the big kids were all covered. I was upstairs vacuuming with dinner already started when Rusty came upstairs and asked, "What time is my football practice?" THE GASP, I GASPED. Here I was thinking I had everything under control and I completely forgot about his practice which was 6-7:30p and he asked me at 7:15p. Your girl got humbled real quick. Good grief. 

Grey's first sports massage from the incredible Miss Emma of Peak Performance Therapy. He felt so comfortable during the entire massage and had his specific needs and pain points addressed. He had his first ever cupping session and said he felt a lot of tension relief afterwards (his back has all those crazy circle bruises - but he said it feels so much more loose!) He is already asking when we are scheduling another one! We have Miss Emma booked up bi-weekly through football and basketball season! What a blessing it is to know and love her. 

Getting into the after school groove. The babies take a short bus ride to the high school at the end of their day and they come upstairs to my room with some bigger teachers' kids (thank goodness for those Mayer boys!) Then they have some snacks from my giant snack bin while watching an episode of Wild Kratts while I 'close up shop' and get stuff prepped for the next day of school. So far so good (after the first day of tears when they thought I wasn't going to find them in the high school cafeteria!) 

Time with family and friends Olive and Redland had a sleepover at Abba and Chum's house and played all day on their official last day of summer break (I had a teacher day at school). Rusty had a sleepover at Liam's house. Violet got to spend Sunday at Kennywood with Evaley and her family (thank you!) 

Recognizing this narrative from so many books that I've read about historical regimes. It's dizzying to watch it all unfold and keep thinking, 'wait, I've heard this story before' and spoiler alert, it does not end well for the majority of us. Militarizing our own cities, speaking in divisive language and hyperboles like it is fact, creating false flags to hide the real policy and investigations that are going on behind the scenes. All while a literal genocide kills kids, babies, and entire families. I will continue to stay aware, I will continue to support those that I believe are standing up for decency and kindness, I will continue to love and raise my family (and support my local community) to build a world I recognize again. The only way through is through and so I continue with hope.

Teaching for the first week of school! In the elementary school we learned the words Mano and Flor because we are making unique flower decorations using cut outs of our hands. Expo started on Week 1, Spanish 1 picked out Spanish names, went over procedures and expectations, and had a little listening quiz. Spanish 2 got back into Spanish through review, writing, and some reading. Overall, it was a great start to the year and the weather was comfortable so my room wasn't too hot! 

Sporting with one Minors football practice for Rusty (because I completely forgot about the other one - oops!) and Violet had one cheer practice. Gemma had four soccer practices and one game at Berlin. Grey and Brandon had four football practices, team dinner and film, and an away game at West Shamokin (1.5 hours away!) Brandon and some of the football players spent Friday morning at the local food bank (St Francis sharing and caring) unloading food donations and organizing their supply room. I uploaded photos and videos to Blast and helped Grey film his Blast thank you videos (thank you to all our friends and family who have donated to the Blast fundraiser - I hope you are enjoying the update emails each week! If you have any interest in donating to the Varsity football team, you can do so here: CT Varsity football Blast Athletics) 

Making hot honey chicken with mac & cheese, ground beef tacos, copycat Olive Garden chicken over spaghetti, meatball sub sammies, and homemade chicken wings. For my birthday dinner, B made me shrimp and scallop alfredo (it was perfect!) For breakfast on Saturday morning we had chocolate chip pancakes at Coach Daddy's request because when you are the winning coach, you get what you want (hah). For desserts, we had ice cream cake for my birthday and I made a batch of protein oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies. 

Around Here Week 34: 08/17-23

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

photo cred: Onara C

photo cred: Jackie F

photo cred: CT yearbook

photo cred: team mom photog Stacy B

photo cred: Uchie

photo cred: Jenn V

photo cred: Uchie

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 446+ hours (of 1000)
Time mostly consisting of practice or game side watching and cheering. I feel like I am doing so much chauffeuring right now in my life - one kid needs dropped off right as the other one needs picked up and then it's back to pick up the first one. It's a lot of car time right now and I am grateful when I get time to just be outside, even if it is just on the sideline! 

Reading Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. obsessed.

Listening to nothing but my to do list running through my head!?!

Very belated birthday celebration for Grey. The last sleepover before the school year (2nd year in a row!) The boys made smash burgers on the grill and I made some "burger" cupcakes and they camped out in the woods in hammocks (Reed constructed a log bed!?) They stayed out there all night and laughed and got a few hours of sleep between keeping the fire going, mosquitos, and 'hearing' coyotes (actually was just them teasing each other playing coyote sounds on their phones). In the morning, they hung around playing golf in the yard, riding the dirtbike and quad, and playing with the little kids. How grateful I am to these boys who are so important to my Grey (and bonus big brothers to all my kids! They've all been best friends since Kindergarten!!)

ai googling myself after my sister sent me a funny ai link earlier in the week about my Olive birthday post (you know how ai adds little clickable buttons under websites on facebook? it added links under Olive's birthday blogpost like "more about Loopy Lou's family" which is both weird and hilarious). Aaaaaanyway, I ai googled myself and then one of the clickable links under that said "How does Tabitha Studer balance teaching, writing, and family life?" LOL, Wait...how does she? Not me, in my back-to-school stress and panic, clicking the link with actual curiosity and hopefulness. LOL, but for real - ai gave me the self-reflection and pep talk I actually needed on my last day of summer, so thanks babes for that. Good grief.  (*disclosure: for better or worse the internet knows me pretty well after writing a blog for 18 years, having a post go viral -Rules for Moms of Sons, making another monetized blog - Team Studer Mom, guest writing on bigger blogs, and starting a publishing company - The Hunting Daddies...I don't think it is normal to get this kind of feedback from google ai. LOL)

Meet the teacher night for Olive and Reddy at Maple Ridge! I took the two babies out to school on Tuesday night to meet their teachers an see their classrooms - we even got to take a little bus ride. They'll start school next week and I'll drop them off in the morning and then they'll take the bus to the high school in the afternoon where I'll snag them. They got their name tags and got to visit the different rooms while the parents got a run down of information with the principal (he's awesome!) The kids seem excited and me too - all the kinks aren't exactly worked out yet - like how I will get them up, dressed, and hair/teeth ready by the time we leave or like what we will do after school and how that will work getting my classroom stuff finished up while they are in the room after a full day of school. I don't know all that yet - but I'm feeling confident that things are looking good for the upcoming school year. 

Happy half birthday to my Gemmi Rose. Thirteen and a half this week. Absolutely unbelievable. We measured her on the kitchen doorframe, had chicken fajita bowls, and snickerdoodles in her honor. We are so lucky to have you in our family, Roie Poe. 

Back to School Prep: 

• meal planning the next two weeks 
• taking the girls to get their emergency period/ hygiene kits for their backpacks (make-up pouch with the essentials: pads, deodorant, extra undies, mints, chapstick, body spray)
• taking snacks to Brandon's office and my classroom for after school hungry kiddos
• taking Gemma to set up her locker at school 
• making our first day of school posters
• having all the kids sign their names on their signature papers - Grey made it to the last 'row' of the paper! The last three years - eeek!
• Lamont came out to give all the boys fresh haircuts for the new school year (we love you Mont!)
• Thankful for Miss Baylee who came to babysit for the babies while I went into school for the first days of the new year (and the big kids were 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for the kids. Gosh, the starkest reminder of the days being long, but the years being short. Everyone got up and ready without any issues and I was cleared to go in late to my in-service day to see everyone off on their first day. We have a sophomore, eighth grader, fifth grader, and third grader this year! So very grateful for their teachers, bus drivers, coaches, principals, secretaries, lunch ladies, resource officers, and every person who helps shape their days with learning, curiosity, and kindness. We are grateful for you all! 

Celebrating Wells birthday at his house with a campfire and an "Outdoor Boys" theme. That sweet Welliker is four years old and he is so very loved. Happy momiversary to my baby sis Uchie - you are such a good momma to your fella boys. 

Time with family and friends. Violet had a playdate at Evaley's house and a playdate at Giada's house another day. Gemma went to Peyton's for a Capture the Flag game on Tuesday night. Pappy took Grey to his dentist appointment and then for a little back to school shopping (thank you Pap!) and then Grey spent the day with Bryce and Reed at their Puppa's house and then went to the annual sleepover after the first football game at Gabe's house (who also turned 16 on Saturday! Happy birthday, Gabey - we love you!) 

everyday horrified and despondent that I am raising my babies in a world that you can scroll from wholesome silliness, to cringey obvious pranks for views, to real time images and news updates of an actual genocide (that our country helps fund). everyday I tell Brandon that I don't think I am equipped as a person to live in a world where anyone thinks it is justified to hate anyone else for any reason. I do not understand that at all. I don't think I belong in this timeline and most days it feels so lonely and so overwhelmingly sad. I just keep repeating, go home and love your family. that is what you can do. keep loving your family and showing up for your students and community. it does not feel like enough. 

Teacher prepping with my first three days back in the classroom for the year (no students yet). I also got my planner organized with to do lists for the non-student days, updated my calendars, made all my first week copies, and updated Schoology so everything connects with Powerschool. We had back-to-school night at the high school/junior high on Thursday night (so I missed the CT community pep rally but was happy to get pics sent to me from friends). I spent Friday in my elementary school classroom and got everything unpacked and decorated. The students are nearly here and I'm feeling mostly ready (or I'm forgetting everything - LOL, really could go either way). 

Sporting with two minors football practice, pictures, weigh-in, and three scrimmage games at Richland on Saturday for Rusty. Violet had one cheer practice, cheer photos, Path of the Pride cheering and sidelines with the Varsity team for the first quarter, plus she watergirled for the Varsity football team too. Gemma had four soccer practices, worked the popcorn stand at the community pep rally, and asst trainer and watergirled for the Varsity football team on Friday night. Grey and Coach Daddy had four nights of football practice and their first home game on Friday night - on the new turf field (it looks incredible - bravo to turf crew for working so hard to make sure we could play our first game on it!) I made mini rosters for the JH girls soccer team for the parents and did some team mom duties (secure a concession stand opener/closer and purchase pep rally supplies) for soccer boosters. 

Making smash burgers and fries, Korean ground beef rice bowls, takeout pizza, sheetpan chicken fajitas, pierogies, and sloppy joes, . For breakfast one day we had French toast (Grey's campout). For Grey's campout, I made "burger" cupcakes, for Peyton's Capture-the-Flag party I made fruity pebble "rice" krispy treats and Coco Puffs "rice" krispy treats, and for Gemma's half birthday I made a batch of snickerdoodles. Because the turf crew was working until 11:30p every night, as a thank you from the Coach's wife, I made a batch of Mexican Wedding cookies for them! For Wells' birthday party, I made him an "Outdoors Boys" cake with the help of pinterest inspo. (Do you want to know my stress level? look at my baking...LOL)