Around Here Week 9: 02/23 - 03/01

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

photo cred: B

photo cred: Peyton

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 12+ hours (of 1000)
Finally, finally! I little break in the cold weather this week. We got over 40 degrees this week and you'd think it was downright balmy. The kids got some time on the trampoline (Violet taught Rusty how to do a back flip) and I didn't even wear my coat into school twice - I just left in it the car! 

Reading nothing all week because I want to start my two next book club books, but I had to get to my favorite local bookstore Young Heart Books to pick up my order! Thankfully on Saturday, I got to visit and chat with Renee at the bookstore and pick up my order! It is my turn to pick the April book and I was so nervous about picking because it's my first pick for this book club of incredibly awesome and inspiring women. With the support and encouragement of Renee (who got me in the club, hah! love you!) I picked Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (I loved Migrations). Our March book is Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. For my other book club we have The Wedding People by Alison Espach for April and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman for the May book! In my book order, I also snagged - Shark Heart, A love story by Emily Habeck, Strange Pictures by Uketsu, and How to Hold a Cockroach by Matthew Maxwell. I am good and stocked now for a little while! 

Listening to and finishing Things we Hide from the Light by Lucy Score and just full on cackling on my commute to the hilarious detailed descriptions of the spicy scenes. Oh man, has me dying of laughter and turning down my volume because - I know everyone can hear this outside my car. Honestly, though, I do love those Knockemout characters and I think it's because all the men are so good and decent; even if they curse and have a running dialogue of lust running through their brains constantly- they act with consent and protectiveness and solid moral code. I love that the female author, Lucy Score, made an entire small town filled with gruff, handsome, growling, strong, decent men. Like, yes please? 

Burying a goat. Ugh, farmlife is not for the weak of heart. Brandon has been trying to nurse Maggie back to health for two weeks and she passed away this week. It is so heartbreaking to lose an animal, but also it is the way of the natural world.  Rusty and Grey helped B bury her in the frozen ground and we all felt a little sad for a few days. 

Parent teacher conference for Olive at preschool and so fascinated to hear her teachers talk about her separate from our home. Is this a baby of the family thing?! I was laughing the whole way through the conference as they described this independent, helpful, confident little friend to all. And I mean, yeah, I see that could be true - but she is the BABY in our house and she knows it. She whines like a champion, she knows to bat her eyes and all of her siblings crumble to her whim, she acts like she's too little to do plenty of things at home. She's just such THE BABY of the family that to hear about her separate from that role and being a full blown preschooler doing things like a boss girl and building out this life as Olive (and not Loopy Lou the baby girl) had me giddy and astonished. 

Helping Violet choose a wacky outfit for her 4th grade Adjective fashion show. She picked her rainbow onesie jammies with a blue tutu! 

Dodgeball tournament for Grey and Gem to benefit the local first responder departments. Grey played with his friends all day and made it undefeated the whole day until the championship where the upperclassmen beat them in a double win. Gemma's friends played in the jr high competition and went all the way to play a sr high team. They lost but since the sr high team couldn't play in the evening event, her team got to go in their place. During the evening event, the students get to play the local first responders and it is always funny and heartwarming. Then the first responders get the proceeds of the fundraiser and everyone can feel proud of a long, fun day for a good cause! 

Thank goodness for Lamont from Ambitious Cuts who came to give all the boys haircuts! Always in the nick of time because we really needed it - especially Grey and B. We love you Mont! 

Sleepover with the nephews. My sister Uch organizes the annual local Mardi Crawl every year with You in Flood City. So as she organizes hundreds of people in our community to visit local bars and restaurants to promote our incredible small business owners - I get to host a sleepover for her sonnies at our house which makes our whole family happy! 

I feel like I've already read this book. Want to read it too? Try: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Teaching about the Galapagos islands at Eagle View - this week we learned about Galapagos Sea Lions and Marine Iguanas! I got a new group of 8th graders for my Expo class, which means we've hit the halfway mark to Quarter 3 (unbelievable!) Spanish 1 worked on scripting and filming personal interviews. Spanish 2 did a week long verb conjugation boot camp because we needed to tighten it up a little bit and they did awesome! I attended the FOR Club meeting on Tuesday and after reviewing old planners to see the best course of action to prep for my next units - I found a March educator challenge from 2023 (thank you Renee!) and I remade it for this year and I hope to share with any fellow teachers who need a little 'look for the good' for the longest month of the teaching year: March! 

Sporting with an official in between sports seasons week! That means evenings with little or no practices and games! Rusty finished out swim season with his final swim meet at IUP at the Novice championship. Even with his sore throat and sinus infection - he swam great and had so much fun. Violet had one Sparks soccer practice and Gemma had a Gators soccer practice and started offseason weightlifting. Greyson had a baseball pitching practice, baseball open gym, he turned in his basketball equipment, and he attended the Varsity football Weights and Wings off season lifting night. B had a old man's basketball game, he attended the weightlifting competition at Ligonier high school with some of his football players, and then hosted the offseason kick off event Weights & Wings on Saturday. I reserved our hotel room and confirmed with cousins for the summer soccer tournament. I also re-certified the high school athletes for spring sports and created a flyer for our neighboring co-op football high school to try to get the boys interested in coming out for football this season. 

Making baked ravioli, sheet pan chicken fajitas, takeout pizza & hoagies from Fox's, ground beef tacos, homemade stromboli, cheese quesadillas, chicken gravy over butter noodles. Red and Olive helped make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too.

Sourdoughing with some discard chocolate chip cookies!