Around Here Week 9: 02/28-03/06

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

Intentional Outdoor Hours:  4+ hours (of 1000)
Desperately needing to get the kids outside and out.of.the.house - so loading everyone and their bikes into the truck and going for some bike laps around the high school parking lot on Sunday night. Red loves being in the hiking backpack (thank you Stankans for the handmedown!) and he was mesmerized to see the kids zipping around on their bikes. It was chilly but everyone came home sufficiently tired from fresh air and bike-moving legs. Spring - I need you!!

Reading and finishing Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazimian. It was a beautiful story and such an informative and important one detailing the AIDS epidemic in NYC in the 80s. There are some pretty explicit scenes that had me cringing only because it was a ProjectLit book and I knew my students were also reading it and that I had given it to them to read!? Hahhaa, when I told them that I was blushing the whole time knowing they were reading it too - they were totally cool about it and they were like, "no, it was more about the story, those parts weren't even a big deal" ...so I was legit just being too momma bear about the sexy stuff and it was good to know that they got the message and beauty of the story. Be cooler, Señora! (LOL). I started reading Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom and I'm obsessed and going down major research rabbit holes. 

Smiling about the kids sleeping out in the hunting blind in the living room on Saturday night. 

Easter decorating and putting all our Easter themed books out for the kids. The kids have been good about keeping up to date on their Lenten countdown charts already, but having the Easter decor displayed is really has us in the spirit of spring! 

Organizing our plans and ordering our seeds for our garden! We ordered heirloom seeds from Annie's and used this awesome website to help us plan out indoor planting and seedling transplanting schedules. I also ordered some lights and warming mats (whoa - getting serious) so that we can start them in the next week or so inside. We are going to have incredible fertilizer when B cleans out the goat house after the whole winter (!?!) and we are really hopeful and excited!

Gasping at the sight of Grey's big manboy feet in his bed when I went to get him up for school one day this week. Time is really shocking me as of late and another weekend of him being requested for a sleepover (thank you Stankans!) has me feeling glimpses of what it will continue to be like as Grey gets bigger and outgrows all his shoes and clothes and simple, long days at home with just our family doing nothing. We still have a ways to go but I can feel the pull of time now. It doesn't help at all that after our 5th grade promotion parent meeting this week, I combed through old photos to share with the slideshow maker and was boohoo'ing about my baby Booboo. Aw man time, you break my heart too much. 

Hitting the third trimester on the same day as Red's 11month mark! Time is moving so swiftly that most days I feel like I can't grasp onto anything but wind. Red took a few steps on his own two days before his 11month birthday, and every day he is getting more confident and better at balance. I have officially lost all sight of my toes and the kids and B have been very gracious about helping me put shoes on and off (hah!) I had my 1hr glucose test (I passed! yay!) and my rhogam shot on Saturday which means things are really getting along over here. My rhogam shot actually had to be given in a maternity room (because the lab nurse wasn't there on Saturday morning) and seeing the bed, and the Welcome baby whiteboard, and it being so familiar of those first days of baby I had a wave of panic and fear come over me as I was waiting for the nurse to bring my shot. Like I CANNOT BELIEVE we are going to back in that room again within 3 months with a new baby!?!?! It is literally blowing my mind and honestly I don't know if I've truly even completely realized we are going to have another baby in a few short weeks. Ignore me while I continue to live in denial and then have flashes of panic. 

Having dress up week for Read Across America week. All the kids had themed days and we had a little chat about how some of Dr. Seuss's books are being pulled because of racist images and language. We talked about how when you know better, you do better - which is what the Dr. Seuss publishers are trying to do. That doesn't mean all of Dr. Seuss is cancelled! We can still love our favorite stories by him like The Lorax, In a People House, The Grinch, and Hop on Pop - but we can be aware of things that are insensitive and hurtful and choose books and media that are inclusive instead. KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER. 

Thankful to have our in-house tutor back in action for her spring semester. Miss Hannah is coming again a few times a week to tutor Gem afterschool which also crosses over for her education classes at college.

Watching as Red makes his way all over the house; crawling half the time and wobble walking half the time. He is going to be off and running within the next two weeks - Lord, help us! He is in to all the things (opening/shutting cupboards, stealing dishwasher tabs, splashing in the dog water dishes, pulling laundry out of hampers - basically leaving hurricane level damage in his wake). We moved the mini basketball hoop down to the cupboard and he immediately grabbed the ball and stood up to make a basket - he's been watching Grey shoot at that hoop since he's been born and was like - oh yeah, I know what do with this! 

Sporting with two indoor baseball practices for Grey and one basketball practice for Grey. Gem went to Grey's basketball practice to get some time in with Dad and bigger kids and she was able to hold her own actually.

Teaching Chapters 3-5 of Brandon Brown Quiere un Perro in Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 read Chapters 7 through 8 in Esperanza including small group presentations to discuss the summary of Chapter 7 using StoryboardThat. Spanish 3 also did small group presentations to discuss their movie trailer review posters for McFarland, USA and then we moved into reading Los 3 Cerditos for a mini fluency unit. Spanish 4 finished part 2 and started part 3 of El Que Se Enoja fable.

Making homemade biscuits with breakfast on Sunday with a colorful array of eggs to scramble. We also had ham in the crockpot, apples and pork chop bake, creamy Italian chicken in the crockpot over noodles, French toast and sausage for breakfast, spaghetti with red sauce, and Abba brought us pizza one night when she got the kids off the bus (thank you!). Baking up some of our junior class fundraiser cookie dough - chocolate chunk!