Around Here 4 and 5: 01/21-02/03

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

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 3 hours (of 1000)
Gosh, the weather this winter has been so wacky. Dipping down in the negatives only to zoom up to the low 50's later in the week. It's given me this weird indignant attitude towards being outside like, "if you can't make up your mind, I'm having nothing to do with you!" hahhaa, but seriously, it's very hard to get motivated to go outside in the cold when it might just warm up in a day or two. That's a lousy excuse for my outdoor performance this year so far, but it's the truth.  We've been holding semi-consistently with our #screenfreewednesdays (forgot one wednesday two weeks ago), but the kids are all in because it means we play together as a family to get through the evening without screens!  Grey had me belly laughing when I told him I was going to do some laundry on Wednesday which prompted him to tape up a sign "Laundry free Wednesday" to the tv too!

Reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles but having to miss my local Books 'n Brews book club meeting because #basketballseason and we're just hanging on by a thread over here, but excited to get started on our next book The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. I devoured Everyday by David Levithan in a matter of four hours in one night (Brandon's response, "Do you think, babe, that maybe you have a problem?" LOL) I also did a quick read of the first novel my Spanish students will be diving into in the next few weeks, El capibara con botas and it got me so excited for them, they are going to be so successful and I can't wait to see them succeed!

Visiting the elementary school with the Spanish club to teach mini lessons to the kindergarten and first grade classes.  The Spanish club was organized into groups of 3 and 4 and armed with their lesson plan, dance moves, and youtube music videos they brought joy, laughter, and some simple Spanish to those kiddos. It was so sweet and I honestly had tears in my eyes with how proud I was of them. We will be visiting once a month for the rest of the year and the Spanish club students talk about it literally every day.

Rep'ing The Hunting Daddies at the Outdoor Expo in Syracuse, NY. B headed up for the weekend with Jeremy and High Ridge Hunting Preserve. We missed him all weekend, but as always it is great meeting people from our niche in the business world and it was our first time at an out-of-PA expo!

Crossing the 100 day mark of the school year and feeling that haze that blankets these winter months. In need of some warm and sunny weather, thick in the school studies, with the end of the school year still too far away to feel like it's anywhere in sight. Violet and Gemma are homework lovers while Grey needs quite a bit more persuading every.single.night. He is actually on an XBox ban until he can bring up his LangArts grade (that boy and his atrocious spelling!) I have been loving The Comprehensible Classroom by Martina Bex units and really feeling inspired from many great Spanish teachers I follow on instagram. We've got a way to go, but we are marching on through this school year.

Raising my hand for all the things ('helium hand' as one of my besties Loni says). Can I assistant coach Gem's soccer team? (sure!) Can I help plan Opening Day (yep!) Can I chaperone Gem's kindergarten field trip (fun! yes!) Can I chaperone the Senior field trip? (cool! of course!) Can I order the senior night basketball gifts and make the programs too? (yep! I'm on it!) It a lot of things on top of our already a lot of things - but this is how I love people; through service. I'm not good at a lot of things (like showing up on time, or detailed craft projects, or remembering to send birthday cards), but planning - I can do that! And showing up to donate my time - yep, I can do that too! We all just need to carry the part that we are best at and it all gets done.  These amazing mommas have tackled the basketball boosters in the past few weeks and suddenly the load that we had previously been trying to carry lightened immediately.  (thank you ladies!) and not only has the weight lifted - but they've made it so much better because they brought their own talents and ideas into it too. What if that's how we all looked at volunteering? Imagine the incredible things we could do together!

Giggling about Violet's sweet three year old thoughts. After seeing a little bruise I had she asked sweetly, "When are you getting married?" and I said, "Va-vi, I already married Daddy, silly girl." and she said, "no, I mean married again so your booboo can get better!" (because I always tell them my Grandma Helen used to say that booboos will get better before you're married, hehhe).

Squeezing in some quality cousin time. I had a solo momma appetizers and drinks date with Heather (thanks for babysitting Uch!) and it was amazing to catch up and laugh and share good food even in this very busy time of our lives raising young and busy kiddos.  We got to see Caleb's last home hockey game and then celebrated cousin Brookie's 2nd birthday party at her house!

Tracking progress for some of my 100 small things goals in my planner. I'm a sucker for tracking data (#nerdalert) and it has been a constant reminder to stick to my goals when I'm tracking everyday and looking back to check in on them. It haven't been 100% successful, but I love seeing the progress over time.

Committing tiny heart snapshots of our life right now. It feels so fast, so busy, so very messy, so fleeting but these little moments are everything that is our life right now. Grey losing two teeth in two days back to back. Grey making breakfast for me on Sunday morning (pb&j toast, coffee with a side of cookie - the kid knows me!) Gemma grabbing a stack of picture books and reading them on the staircase landing quietly but aloud as though she's teaching a class - asking comprehension questions and little observations about the pictures (Do you see this character's face, why does he look like?") Violet announcing loud enough for everyone in the gym lobby to hear "I pooped in the potty at school!" and so grateful for how easily I can make her laugh and smile in the morning even when she's sleepy. And Rust - my little Gemini baby who is either the sweetest, squishiest, loviest, curliest haired angel child....or the opposite of that (#sweetMotherMaryhelpme) One toilet a day has been clogged for about two weeks in a row #wreckitRusty I love the moment at night when I peel my tired body of the girls' room floor from reading aloud my current book after all the kids have fallen asleep and giving them each one kiss and tuck in. All my babies, all peacefully, quietly (!) asleep and safe in our home - the very definition of a mother's contented heart.

Making chicken over biscuits, shrimp fried rice, keilbasa & cabbage, chicken & veggie casserole, and korean beef over rice.  The kids and I also made cake-box sprinkle cookies and peanut butter lovers cookies (bag mix).