Around Here Week 19: 05/07-13

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

5th grade promotion vibe check

photo cred: Kristi P

photo cred: Mrs. Mock

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 109+ hours (of 1000)
Spring sports had us snagging hours mostly this week - the stomach bug had most of us laying on the couch suffering or had me working on laundry, laundry, laundry from all the clothes and sheets changes. ugh. 

Reading and finishing The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides  I kept trying to guess the ending but was wrong the whole time until the last moment and I figured it out literally like two paragraphs before it was revealed which doesn't really count. I don't know, I liked it but also kind of meh. I read and finished Layla by Colleen Hoover (borrow from my student Nadia). Still had all the stuff you might expect from Colleen Hoover (ahem, miss ma'am) but had a spooky/paranormal element too that I kind of loved.

The stomach bug ravaged our house this week: Red (Saturday-Sunday), Me, Rusty, & Gemma (Sunday-Monday), Grey (Monday-Tuesday), Violet (Wednesday-Thursday). It was only 12 hours, but a brutal 12 hours of completely emptying your insides and then needing another 12 hours to hydrate and sleep. I had a Walmart pick up scheduled on Sunday evening and on the way there, both Rusty and I puked twice (LOL) luckily, I had the foresight to have plastic bags and paper towels in the car. I just kept telling myself - just get it accomplished and then you can go home and rest. Good grief, it was a hot mess. 

A week of appointments, which was hectic to plan logistically but thank goodness for grandparents! Glad to get them checked off the list! Gemma and Violet had eye doctor appoints (thank you Pappy & Gigi for taking them!) and then Rusty & Grey had eye doc appointments (thank you Abba for taking them!) Rust also had a dentist appointment (thank you for taking him Chum!)

Clapping for Gemma who had a double performance week! She played her trumpet with the 4 -8th grade band members. It was beautiful and I was tearing up about kids being passionate and musical and my Gemmi Ro. They learned to play Sunroof and it was my favorite piece. Then she had her spring concert and she had a dance to do for one of the songs. I couldn't be there because I was at Rusty's baseball game - but B and Kitty sent me photos and videos and then Kitty took her out for Chinese afterwards which was the best ever! (thank you!) We are also prepping for her upcoming fifth grade promotion and I did another vibe check to figure out what she wants to wear to the ceremony. Don't mind me, crying forever about the passage of time. 

Saying goodbye to our best friend's mom, Sue. She passed this week after being a warrior twice to cancer. She was such a strong encourager and supporter to Brandon and I over the 20 years that we knew her. Always so loving and proud of us; communicated often how grateful she was that we were friends with her son. I called her once when Grey was 6 years old and I felt just so ill-equipped to be his mom; no clue how to raise a good and decent man. I was sobbing to her own the phone asking for any advice she could offer because he is so much like my husband and Jon (her son) and how did she do it? And she was so patient and soft with me - no "tough it up, buttercup" stuff. She was a soft place to land for me in that moment of flailing. She gave me some incredible advice that day that I carry still -  that it is hard (motherhood) but that we don't have to do it alone. Sometimes leaning into the other people in our children's life will get through to them and will give us the support (and rest) we need. Most importantly, put good men in front of him to be examples when words don't work, he needs to see good men in action. When I'm feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of parenting, I lean into Sue's advice like mercy. Fly high Sue, thank you for raising our best friend. 

Front lawn dance party with the Altimores. It is such a joy boost to randomly stop by and have a quick chat (or dance party!), visit with Zeus-y (their pupper), and take a minute to relax with friends as we pass through the neighborhood on our travels in and out for all our things. Thanks for being there for us with a smile in the in-between moments of this chaotic moment in parenthood!

Thankful for photos sent to me from family, friends, teachers, and sports families. Everyone in our circle knows that I love curating photos of our kids and family in our family yearbooks and here on the blog - so they are always so generous with snapping pictures and sending them along, especially if I can't physically be there because of all the directions our big family is running. Mrs. Mock and other 2nd grade mommas snapped pics of Violet at her field trip this week and passed them along. Teammate momma Eva sends me pics our girls between school pick up and practice, my sister sent videos and pictures from Gem's concert, and I'm always getting videos and pics from our sports family Momma Conn. I am just so grateful to be able to catalog these memories in our yearbook thanks to you all. xxo thank you for remembering this momma over here who wants to witness all the moments. 

Being intentional with our cell phone down time. After listening to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, specifically this episode - I ordered an Aro device and subscribed to the app for our family (current mobile users: me, B, and Grey). What I love about the idea of Aro is that it is tracking how often you intentionally decide to take a break from your phone - it's not guilt-based on how much you use your phone (which is like, why even check because I know it's going to make me feel bad!?) Instead, Aro tracks how often we decide to step away and look up. Plus it's competition based so that obviously has Grey motivated to try to beat his parents (hah). I also love the 'nudges' it gives to other family members in the form of a notification when another person in the house chooses Aro time. Everyone else gets a notification that says "Grey chose to take Aro time" and then it's a gentle reminder to Brandon and I to remember to look up and live too. Asking someone to put their phone down immediately makes someone feel defensive, but getting that notification instead is like - oh! someone else isn't on their phone, I don't have to be either. 

Mother's Day Margaritas with my Zero! Heather and I spent an evening at El Jalisco enjoying margaritas and flautas and chat-chat-chatting. It was wonderful and a perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day eve (new tradition? I'm voting yes!) Thanks to our husbands who held it down with each of our big families so we could sneak away (even if we had to answer texts like 'what's for dinner?' and 'do we have anything going on in three Tuesdays from now?' LOL)

Teaching just a little since it is Keystone testing week at the high school. Monday was out from the stomach bug and then Thursday I was out for Sue's funeral. Spanish 1 worked on an independent Latin Dance Project since I have kids in and out all week for testing. Spanish 2 read chapters 7-10 in Robo en La Noche, and Spanish 3/4 watched their last movie of the year, Sugar - a movie about a Dominican baseball player that comes to the US to play ball (to close out our Felipe Alou novel). 

Sporting with a baseball game for Rusty and one missed practice from the stomach bug. Violet had two Sparks soccer games, an AYSO soccer game, and one Sparks soccer practice. Gemma missed her AYSO soccer game on Monday from the stomach bug and Grey played in two Jr High baseball games, left one game early because of the stomach bug (puked behind the dug out!), and missed one game entirely because he was home still sick. It was the last week of Jr. High baseball and Pony League baseball games start next week! B had football weightlifting M-Th too. 

Making tavern ham in the crockpot, crockpot salsa chicken, Korean beef and green beans over rice, creamy ham noodles with peas - it's been a weird week of eating whatever is available and won't make you puke (hah!) A lot of scavenging and individual meals of toast or little noodle soup.