Around Here Week 14 : 03/30 - 04/ 05

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

chalk art by Grey!

selfie cred: Gemma

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 42+ hours (of 1000)
Truly a spring week with chilly and then rainy and then sunny (yay!), then so windy, then chilly again. Ugh. I am certainly ready for green and flowers and warm to hurry up and get here. The kids were able to get out quite a bit this week though and I even read a little on the front porch swing - so the hope is there! 

Reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Listening to and finishing Know my Name by Chanel Miller. It was incredible and important and soul changing. Grateful to be alive in the same time as Emily Doe / Chanel Miller and thankful to have been able to listen to her read her book. 

Celebrating our five year old Reddy! We hosted Red's birthday party at our house on Sunday and had a great time with everyone who came despite the chilly, rainy day. (thank you to everyone who shows up for our family - we are so blessed by you!) We also took mini donuts to 5u AYSO soccer practice this week and sang under the pavilion while we all shivered after a rainy practice (hah). Red got to take mini donuts to school to sing with his preschool class too! We met up with our Studer family at Kuma's house on Tuesday evening to sing Happy Birthday to Red (5) and Mimi (87). 

Smiling at photos of B at his annual fishing in Spruce Creek with Uncle Jonny. Brandon headed out to meet Jon and Yetka for breakfast (annual tradition!) before making their way to Spruce Creek for three days to fly fish to their hearts' content. Always makes me laugh to see how happy he is in photos with his native trout where he looks more joyful than any photo he's ever taken with me (hahhha). I am grateful that he gets this week and these memories. Love those boys and their reindeer games. As always- an enormous thank you to our family and friends who squeeze in when we need a little extra hand (Pappy and Chum on AM duty to get the kids off to school! And Violet and Rusty got to go to Abba and Chum's house on the early dismiss on Friday too, then a ride to soccer practice). 

Rolling my eyes that "groceries" - which are such a huge part of my mental labor of motherhood were made to sound so trivial. I have honestly sat in a grocery store parking lot crying and trying to hype myself up to go in and get it done. The daily mental acrobats of figuring it all out - how am I going to feed our family this week? What ingredients do I need to make that meal? Who needs deodorant? Gem says she is almost out of her face wash. I need to check to see if we need garbage bags. Aren't we almost out of olive oil? Redland has snack this week at preschool....the constant barrage of thoughts of groceries: what we need, how we will afford it, when we need it by, what needs used up before it goes bad, how can I use what we have to make something the kids all like - has been discussed in a speech this week from the highest house in the country as, and I quote,  "Groceries, such an old fashion term...it sort of says a bag with different things in it." Holy hell, what a way to diminish the mental labor of every mother doing her best to hold it together. 

Cracking up with Rusty as we fed the goats cabbage and strawberries. We already knew they liked cabbage but they `went crazy for the strawberries. Rust and I were dying at how excited they were over the strawberries and then I was like, "wait, can goats eat strawberries?" and Rusty shouted, "MOM! That's something you're supposed to look up BEFORE we feed them the whole bowl!?" Thank goodness strawberries are fine for goats. 

First day of trout! Grey's best friends Bryce and Reed slept over on Friday night - so I picked up Hunsberger steaks from Go Moore for them to grill. They were cracking me up through the kitchen window while I worked on the sides in the house. Feeding 3 teenage boys is truly a feat and they ate all three of the steaks (sharing a few bites with Red) and then moved on to clearing out several containers of leftovers in the fridge (thank goodness! Its a relief to clear those out) and then ate some cowboy cookies too. On Saturday morning, the boys all got loaded up (B, Rudy, Grey, the twins, Rusty, and Reddy) and they headed out to Bedford to spend the rest of the day fishing.

Celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary for our dear friends Toby and Roxanne Resh. It was a thoughtful and beautiful vow renewal and reception from their daughter and our friend Janell. Miss Janell was Violet, Rusty, and Reddy's former preschool teacher but she has been such a cheerleader for their lives (and all our kids' lives) well beyond her time with them in the preschool classroom. (the truest heart of a teacher!) We were honored to be guests at the event and feel so lucky to be considered in their circle of loved ones. Congratulations Grampy and Pappy Resh! We adore you! 

Birthday parties for Rusty and Violet's friends: Vi attended Addy's swimming party at the Somerset pool with the Cables (thank you!) and Rusty got to spend the evening at Liam's birthday party. 

Shopping with my girls. My three girls and I head to the mall to pick up Gemma's semi-formal dress late Saturday afternoon. (They only had 2 left, so we got one that was a little big and we will get it altered a little). Violet and Olive tried on some Easter outfits and picked out the ones they wanted - it looks like we are going for a peach/pink/light blue theme this year which is good by me. My three girls, sometimes I just can't believe it. 

Teaching and finalizing my Q3 grades! It is crazy that we only have on more 9weeks to go!? My elementary school students reviewed numbers and days of the week with a Gimkit and I loved seeing them count up on their fingers with that competitive spirit to win! My expo 8th graders worked through week 1 vocab, Spanish 1 learned body parts vocab and sang Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes for bonus points. Spanish 2 practiced conjugating stem-changing verbs and learned about Direct Object Pronouns and also learned about Las Abuelas de la Plaza Mayo (you should probably learn about them too if you never heard of them. Knowing history matters).

After the executive orders this week stating there would be no federal funding to schools without removal of all DEI curriculum, I had a flash of panic that maybe I won't have a job at all? Is teaching foreign language considered DEI? (the internet says yes) Let's say foreign language is saved somehow, then will I have to scrape out the cultural learning that happens in my teaching? I basically teach Spanish language through culture - so that would be a complete overhaul to everything I do (and believe in). Everyday is another shock to the nervous system.

Sporting with one rain-soaked 5u soccer practice (Red, Liv, and Coach Momma), one 10u soccer practice (Rusty, asst Coach Momma). Two 12u soccer and two Sparks soccer practices for Violet. Gemma had two Gators soccer practices, and Grey had a baseball game and three baseball practices. We got our baseball fundraiser tickets turned in (thank you to all our family who bought tickets!) and I added blankets and snacks to the spring sports bag that will stay in the car until the end of the season now. 

Making chicken and gravy bowls with Red Lobster biscuits, to go pizza at the baseball field on Tuesday afternoon, chicken fajitas, leftovers, and baked mac&cheese. On Friday night, Grey and his friends grilled steaks on the Blackstone with french fries in the air fryer. I made Cowboy cookies for them to take to fishing camp. 

Sourdoughin with nothing! Celebrina is in the fridge for her long Spring Sports season nap. See you in the summer, my darling - take your well deserved rest!  

A Day in the Life: March

Sunday, March 30, 2025

5:30a wake up with B and Olive on the couch because we were watching March Madness and then fell asleep and never made it up to bed. I sneak off the couch and head upstairs to brush my teeth and try to wake up by scrolling for fifteen minutes. It didn't work, I was actually almost falling back asleep, so I just got up. 

6a. down to the kitchen to heat up yesterday's leftover coffee and start making the cake and cupcakes for Reddy's birthday party this afternoon. Happy that the chickens are producing so well because I need six eggs just for the two boxes of mix. I also start the laundry cycles and start a new pot of coffee. Then I sit in the oven chair (to hold the oven door completely shut) while blogging so that the cakes all bake properly. 

7:30a. Cupcakes and cakes are out and cooling. Morning chores like dog out and food and water. Guinea pig moved outside and water. Making my list for the morning that is for the whole family to see today's checklist and finishing a little gift I have for Uch since my nephew Wells has a surgery tomorrow. 

7:50a Kids are waking up and Reddy is all smiles for his party today. Olive wants a "macheet" (chocolate milk) and I make chocolate croissants and heat up leftover cheesy potatoes for breakfast. That means more sitting on the oven chair which feels like a time waste so I work on meal planning for this week (yikes, going to be a tricky one!) 

Monday - chicken & gravy mashed potato bowls
Tuesday (Reddy's choice) - Sheetpan chicken fajitas and pumpkin roll for Red's birthday dessert
Wednesday - Meatball sub sammies
Thursday - crack chicken sammies
Friday - grill (burgers / hot dogs / brats) and air fryer french fries
Saturday - continue to think about (first day of trout!)

I also set up the cooled cakes and cupcakes on the platter and put strawberry jam between the cake layers are Reddy's request. 

8:20a breakfast with B and the kids as we look at Reddy's baby book to laugh and smile about how sweet he was (and is!) Then Olive's hair needs a little refresh while B and Rusty clean up the living room from last night. I switch the laundry and cart up some stuff to our bedroom to get it out of the kitchen before the party to minimize party clutter (like my computer and school bag). 

8:45a Get ready for Sunday school and waking up Gemma. I get dressed and do her eyebrows real quick (because it's an emergency situation over here, mom!) and it's off to Sunday school by 9:10a!

9:15a Sunday school and today the parents were asked to be there with the kids who are going to get their first Holy Communion this year. I stayed in class with Rusty and Mrs. Sotosky is so great at leading the class and had fun activities and even bread and honey to try for the communion kids. After Sunday school, the kids and I stopped at Dollar General to grab the last few things we needed for the party (paper plates, tablecloths, juice bags) and then it was home just in time to wave goodbye to the insurance adjustor who was at the house checking out our siding that got ripped off by the last storm?!

10:30a Doing all the pre-party tasks: icing cupcakes and cake, sweeping, setting up tables, vacuuming, loading the dishwasher, and starting the crockpots. B had done a bunch of stuff on the list while we were at Sunday school thankfully, so we already had a bit of a head start. He and Grey had brought up tables, done all the animal chores, and cleaned up the backyard a big. I also had to do non-party stuff like switching the laundry and responding to texts with coaches and boosters (hah) because real life don't ever stop! 

1p Red's fifth birthday party at our house! B cooked hamburgers on the grill and we had baked beans and buffalo chicken dip in the crockpots. We are always blessed with people who show up with smiles and arms loaded down with goodies to share (we love and appreciate you!) Abba brought pasta salad, Mimi made no bakes, Heather brought little smokie pigs in the blankets and fruit salad, Miss Hannah brought her famous brownies, and Miss Emma brought juice bags. 

Even though it sprinkled most of the time, that didn't stop the kids from jumping on the trampoline, playing spies, and visiting the animals. It was a wild and fun time for the kids and lots of yummy food and chatting for the grown ups. We sang to Reddy (5) and Mimi (87) and the kids tried to cook smores in the rain (moderate success). Everyone was sufficiently tired and soaked through by the end of the party. 

5:30p Everyone had hugged goodbye and helped carry everything into the house. It was time to clean up and reset. Grey helped condense everything with the promise of a Sundowner hamburger for dinner (hah). Then he went and organized a game of indoor baseball in the living room with Reddy's new foam bat while I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and washed the big stuff. I texted photos to the friends and family who were at the party and said thank you again. 

It will be leftovers for dinner because we have so many random things left from the party and from the week in the fridge. B took Gemma to Gators soccer practice at 6p while I did a quick vacuum on all the pieces of grass that found their way into the house from wet socks during the party. 

6:15p Four loads of laundry needed sorted so I could switch the laundry again. I still have at least 3 loads to do before tomorrow (that would be ideal, but we will see). B hung out to chat with me while kids came in and out to talk randomly. The boys went back outside to try out Red's new rocket launcher and I tried not to cry while matching socks (hahaha, honestly will be the end of my sanity someday). I got Olive's, Red's, and all the towels put away after sorting the clothes. 

7:20p in the attic to find cleats and shin guards to see if we can assemble some kind of a season without having to buy anything else new. I also carried up St Patrick's decorations that needed put away but upon entry to the attic, I see the kids have been up there digging through bins of clothes...but that giant mess is for another day - so I choose to ignore it and dig on through the sports equipment. B went to pick up Gemma and I carried down the possible cleat options and as many shinguards as I could find (literally all mismatched which is classic and exactly how I feel about socks...so great). 

7:45p I heated up leftover pizza and ate it standing up while laughing at Red who is so thrilled about his back scratcher that my dad got him (the same one my dad has). Red said, "I wish my friend Jeremiah could see my back scratcher!" and then a few minutes later, "I just love this back scratcher!" Haha, it's always the simple things that kids like the best! I asked Rusty again to show me the cleats he has for tomorrow and he showed me last year's pair size 2. I was like, "dude. what size shoe do you wear?" and he was like, "what? a 4." babes. Not going to work. So it's back up to the attic again. 

8p. I found a size 5 but with socks they work for Rusty so I think we are covered enough for tomorrow's practice. I will need to order Olive some tiny cleats that actually fit but for tomorrow she's wearing 2sizes up because that's what we got. I got Queen Barb the guinea pig ready for bed (hah) and then made Grey his sundowners (hamburger, egg, mustard, cheese, chili). I reminded Rust to empty his backpack and got the rundown about practice from Gemma while she reheated some pizza for dinner. 

B took the kids up to bed (Olive needed carried since she was already asleep on the couch after such a fun day!) except Violet decided she was hungry. So she heated up a leftover cream cheese chicken taco. Gem came back for a piece of cake before bed and I realized I had only two dishwasher tabs left...add that to the grocery list. And then Reddy came down wanting to take his back scratcher up to bed...him and this back scratcher?!

I fed my sourdough Celebrina and put her down for a long Springtime Snooze in the fridge until we finish spring sports season. Eeek! goodnight Celebrina, we love you. Take a rest - you earned it! 

9p. B gave Bullet his old man pain medicine and I checked the laundry and realized the settings were changed today on the dryer and our clothes were not actually dry yet. Ugh..so I restarted the dryer and the wet clothes waited. Dishwasher started and B washed the last of the big stuff. Gemma wanted her hair in heatless curls and Then it was finally time for pajamas - Thank Goodness! and some time on the couch with B, my hot tea, and a book! 

We finished watching the last 25 minutes of the Joplin tornado documentary and then we both knew if we stayed down there any longer we would fall asleep on the couch never to make it to bed. So we forced ourselves up and checked on all the kids one last time and then yay for heated blankets and nighttime. 

A long busy day and tomorrow starts a full work week with soccer practices and baseball games and B's annual fishing trip. Sunday scaries for sure, but it was a good day and everyone was so generous and helpful. So very grateful for everyone who shows up for us everyday and in every way they can. thank you, love you, keep keeping on!