Around Here Week 10: 03/05-11

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

watching fellow NS student Thanyal at States for wrestling

the worm full moon

photo cred: Eva

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 18+ hours (of 1000)
Our irises are starting to shoot up and I'm hopeful. Please, oh please, oh please Spring. Make your way to me. I took all the kids to the high school one afternoon to run around and shoot hoops because we just needed to get out of the house.

Reading It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han - a borrow from my student Lily. The second book in TSITP series. 

Attending Youth Mass for church on Sunday and it was so wonderful. All the kids did such a great job and it felt so meaningful and special. Rust and Violet both contributed by singing, Gemma helped demonstrate some dance moves (in front of the whole congregation!) and assisted in communion, and Greyson read part of the service. 

Accidentally supporting ALL the fundraisers. like for real, all.the.things. HAH. it's actually not funny because I seriously spent so much money these past few weeks supporting kids and students. Girls Scout cookies (yep), Junior class popcorn for the prom (yep), Cougar discount card from a co-worker's middle schooler (yep), chocolate from the senior class (yep), Marianna's subs and pizzas from student council members (yep), lotto ticket raffle from the Volleyball team (yep)...um, oops?

Losing the will to get out of bed in the morning (LOL) but if B or I have to clean up dog poop or pee one more morning we might just perish. Thank goodness for washable rugs and swiffer wipes. We are holding on by a thread over here with this puppy house training for real. 

Filling in my spring months in my planner with all the upcoming activities. If I said it once, I've said it a bajillion times - I would not survive without my planner. March-April-May is generally filled to the brim with activities between spring sports practices & games, field trips, concerts, and (this year) fifth grade promotion for Gemma. We also squeeze in there first day & mentor day of fishing and first day & mentor day of turkey hunting. Don't forget about Easter, Mother's day, and three of our kids' birthdays. Hang on to the reins friends - it's about to get a little wild. Even though it is crazy, I do really love spring; nature waking back up, daylight holding on longer each day, summer break on the horizon, concession stand food for dinner (lol). I'm excited, let's do this Spring! 

Finally taking my annual headshots of the kids after it's been on my mind for way too long. Such a random thing, but I do love having them to look back at each year and everyone was good about sitting for me and getting them done with - even Wells and Heath! 

Restocking our deep freezer. We got ground beef, pork chops, and sirloin steaks. Thanks to Pappy and Gigi who purchase and deliver for us from the meat store! 

Thankful for our kids' friends' families who squeeze in to help. The Altimores took our elementary kids off the bus on the half day early dismissal while Grey hung out with the Stankans on the same day. Violet got a sleepover with the McDannells on Friday night and Grey got a ride home from the movies with the Holders on Saturday evening. 

Teaching Brandon Brown Quiere un Perro - the second novel of the year to Spanish 1. We read chapters 5-7 this week and had a vocab test. Spanish 2 started Esperanza (their third novel of the year) and read Chapters 1 and 2. Spanish 3/4 worked on Movie Review projects for McFarland USA using the past tense in Spanish. I was on a popcorn fundraiser money collection spree this week and as of Friday, we have about most of the students paid in full - next week I start threatening (hah, just kidding, kind of). 

Sporting with a indoor baseball practice for Rusty, Violet had a soccer practice with her Sparks team. Gemma had 1 soccer practice with her soccer tourney team the Fireballs on Friday night, then she played at CV in her last basketball tournament of the year. They played once on Thursday night and had two games on Saturday. Grey had baseball practice for Jr High every evening this week as the official spring sports season is now open! Violet and Rusty participated in BB Gun League for the first week (Gem will shoot twice next week) and I signed up Gem, Vi, and Rust for youth football/cheer season too! (2 cheerleaders and a flag football player!)

Making nacho & rotel dip, cowboy casserole, porkchops and mac&cheese, Copycat Olive Garden chicken over pasta, and pierogies. For keto we also had blackened tilapia (Red and Liv loved it!) and a porkchop and cauliflower bake we got from instagram (didn't love it). I made the kids a batch of pb/oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies and a batch of pb powerballs too. 

Around Here Week 09: 02/26-03/04

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

Gem reading to Rusty's Kinder class (photo cred: Mrs McCall)

typical: frost on the ground and a middle school boy in shorts

photo cred: Miss Emma

photo cred: Mrs. Doyle

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 17+ hours (of 1000)
this weatherrrrrrrrr. pick a season. it's warm and sunny then it's rainy and gloomy, then it's freezing with snow flurries, then it's warm enough that the kids don't think they need shoes and coats, then it's so windy we can barely walk outside without fear of blowing away. My outdoor numbers continue to creep up but barely because I need sun and warm. 

Reading and finishing (finally!) 1000 Hours Outside by Ginny Yurich. Then I started The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys and finished it! It was our pick for books & brews book club and it was a 500+ pager, but I really enjoyed it. Historical fiction just blows my mind with the amount of research it would take to bring it to life truly. I really liked it. I keep thinking about one of the adult characters (Ben) encouraging a younger character (Daniel) to take the chance and do all the things because "as they say, it's later than you think already" and maybe it's because I'm turning 40 this year or it feels like the kids are growing so fast (our baby is going to be 2! our oldest is going to be a teenager!)...but that line has stuck with me and it's inspiring me to be brave and do all the things.

Dress up week for Dr. Seuss at the elementary school. I love adding layers of madness into our already chaotic days (just kidding; I know, I know - #daysarelongyearsareshort )

Adjusting our cellphone rule. Our rule has always been 8th grade and we felt like we were going to make it and then our 7th grader went and grew up a little bit and came to us honestly and openheartedly about compromising and getting one early. He was genuine and not sneaky and we discussed it in depth as parents and also with him. We compromised on an older model used phone and that this would be a trial period. No Snapchat/social media and being really reflective and aware of screen time. We are being open and honest too about our own struggles with phone addiction and the urge to scroll. It's a learning process and I said to B that holding hard to the rule just because it is a rule isn't going to do us any favors in building a relationship with our son. He came to us maturely and was willing to compromise and learn - so we need to be willing to fortify our relationship with this young person rather than just forcing rules just because we said so. Tale as old as time: it was about a girl…just goes to prove that it's never going to go like you planned; we parents have to be always ready to adjust and readjust to get through it with as much as the trusting and loving relationship in tact. (good luck out there!) 

Major life decision! After weeks of deliberation and weighing all the options and talking about it until we are dizzy - Brandon has accepted a new path for work and now I feel like I can look at my planner for the rest of the year with clear eyes, full heart, can't lose (#iykyk)

Really tired of Dude (our male goat with the giant horns). He's been acting aggressively towards Brandon when he brings the food into the pen and B has had to flip him onto his back three times this week. B doesn't want me or the kids going in there at all because Dude is just too big and his horns are too big. So that means all the goat farm duties are put on B right now which just makes everything more challenging. We are trying to think of a solution, but Dude might have to go. 

De-scaling our coffee pot. Because sometimes it just needs done - and here's your reminder if you need to clean yours (lol). 

Attending the 5th grade promo meeting. Our Gem will be celebrating the end of her school career at the elementary school this year (eek!) so we are in the works of planning the ceremony and party for May. Grateful to have so many awesome parents and families in our district that lead and volunteer for cool events for our kiddos. (thanks for being our fearless leader on this project and lots of other things Jenn V!!)

Unpacking & sorting the Junior Class popcorn fundraiser. My juniors sold over 1000 bags of popcorn (!) which was amazing, but then that also meant that for half of the day Thursday, the prom committee and I were in the auditorium unpacking them all by flavors and reorganizing them by student order. Counting, re-counting, and triple checking that everyone had what they needed. It was a crazy and exhausting afternoon, but my students were so good and focused. We got it all packed up and sent home with kids before the end of the day!

Celebrating Gemma with a Mall party; like we did in the 90's! I loaded up Lucille with 10 of her friends (including Violet!) We headed out for the hour drive towards Altoona Mall with the music playing and the kids all laughing and teasing each other goodheartedly. At the mall, we met up with my Katie and her Sophia. We lagged behind while the hoard of our 10&11 year olds migrated from store to store. They window shopped, smelled every candle and lotion in Bath&Body Works (lol), bought pretzels from Auntie Anne's, found best friend necklaces in Claire's, and all squeezed into the photo booth. All the 90's vibes, baby! After the mall, we went to Bestway pizza for food and cake. Bless Kate for coming in major clutch and saving the day a million times (picking up the cake, pulling tables together before we got there - so thankful for you!! love you xxo) Then it was another hour drive back home. It was fun and weirdly educational with everyone using their own money, doing math in their head, speaking to store cashiers, and ordering their own food at the food court (hah!) 

Hosting cousin Caleb for a sleepover at our house. #cousinsmakethebestoffriends

Teaching the second novel in Spanish 1: Brandon Brown Quiere un Perro. We read chapters 1-4 and worked through some comprehension puzzles. Spanish 2 had a citizenship experience with snacks and then did Baseline writing so we can continue to see growth in their writing and then they started the documentary Which Way Home that we watch before reading our next novel. Spanish 3/4 watched McFarland, USA movie so that they can complete a past tense movie review project after. It is a great movie (available on Disney+) 

Sporting with a machine pitch baseball practice for Rusty, and Violet had a soccer practice for her travel Sparks team. Gemma had two playoff basketball games for her East Hill league which then finished out their games up there for the season. Greyson had a pitching practice and a jr high baseball open gym (regular practices start next week!) B and Grey attended the two Varsity basketball games this week as they are in the playoffs! 

Making sheet pan chicken fajitas, fried noodles, tacos, chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes, chili goulash, pierogies, and B and Rusty made chicken wings on Saturday. I also made a batch of rice krispy treats with m&ms! Keto is still going well and I'm feeling positive about it - not starving all day; energy increase, no heartburn at all, definitely getting more water everyday, but could always use more. I started Keto this year for our school weightloss challenge, but I'll probably keep it up because it just makes me feel so much better. 

Around Here Week 08: 02/19-25

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

photo cred: Mrs McCall

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 15+ (of 1000)
Beautiful weather on Sunday that we got to play outside with our cousins before they left us (until next month!) We rolled logs and rocks over to find bugs and explored some of the woods together. But then the weather has been so flip floppy otherwise - wind, rain, chilly, snow flurries, bright sun...it can't make up it's mind on what season it wants to be so everyone is still runny nosed and the house is a complete muddy mess everyday. I am officially ready for spring and it's only mid-February, ugh oh. 

Reading and finishing The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (a borrow from my student Lily). I started and finished If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin (a borrow from my student Alyssa). If He Had Been With Me broke my heart in two. I finished it before school on Friday and just felt brokenhearted for the rest of the day. I took a little one day reading break to sit in my grief and also because Brandon was feeling a little neglected after I finished two books this week (hah). 

Fingers crossed, paperwork collected, and prayers sent up as Brandon headed into an interview this week. (gulp)

Celebrating our new 11 year old! Gemma had her birthday on Monday and she was thrilled to spend the day with Abba, Chum, and Kitty all day (they had no school for MLK Jr day). I made snickerdoodles to sing after dinner and then on Saturday, Gem and I went out to dinner just the two of us at Applebee's. We got her birthday snack for school, we celebrated with her team with donuts after her game on Sunday, had pie AND have some birthday party plans in the works...sheesh, we are so lucky to have this girl all we want to do is celebrate her! 

Finally finishing the puzzle we had in the staff lounge at school! Omigosh, it took two months and lots of people putting in a piece or two during lunches and afterschool - but we did it! We were all weirdly proud and it was actually a fun team building experience. 

Finding babies in our King's cake for Mardi Gras. I put 6 babies in the cake because I'm a sucker and I think everyone should get a little pretend luck! 

Adjusting Violet's hip and back at the chiropractor. That little one's hip is always popping out of place during sport seasons. Thankfully my mom and dad were able to grab her from school and get her to the appointment on time (thank you!) and we have some strengthening exercises for her to work on so that we can keep that hip in alignment for the upcoming soccer season.

Organizing the staff potluck for Friday. We had pizza and karaoke in the library after the early dismissal. I ordered the pizza from our local favorite spot (Peezer's!) and a bunch of staff pitched in to pay while others had signed up to bring drinks and sides. I sang "Blame it on Your Heart" by Patty Loveless and many other teachers sang. Some were impressive and some had me laughing so hard my face and stomach actually ached by the end of the afternoon. 

Birthdays everywhere we look! Besides Gemma's birthday, we also celebrated Pappy's birthday at our house with strawberry pie and Rusty's friend Hannah's birthday at the skating rink! We all sang to Wells for his half birthday (18 months!) this week too! 

Teaching only four days since we had an in-service day on Monday (Happy Presidents day!) I had students in the building on Monday though with our Spanish club - they wanted to put on a staff appreciation taco lunch. Otherwise for the week - Spanish 1 learned about Carrie the dancing dog as a lead into our next novel Brandon Brown Quiere un Perro. Spanish 2 learned about Guatemala and starting the documentary Living on $1. Spanish 3/4 Honors finished La Casa de La Dentista and worked through figuring out when to use preterito vs imperfecto in the past tense in Spanish. I had a little hiccup with the Leave Me Alone passes (someone making copies?!) I got to the bottom of it and upped the price to be exempt from the final to make everyone be mad (hah)

Sporting with Rusty's first ever baseball practice! He is playing machine pitch this year and he had his first indoor practice on Sunday (he was so excited and Grey got him all suited up in his old baseball pants, hat, and high socks!) Violet had 1 soccer practice for her Sparks team, Gemma had 2 basketball games, Grey had pitching practice with his Jr high baseball team and practice with his Pony league team. Brandon had a basketball game at his old man's league.

Making roast beef au jus sammies, sheet pan kielbasa and veggies, spaghetti, Korean beef & rice. For keto we had egg roll in a bowl and blackened tilapia with cheese cauliflower and broccoli. I made snickerdoodles for Gem's birthday and chocolate pumpkin muffins for weekend breakfast too. 

mini goal check in: 
20 minutes outside:  2 days
make-out:  5 days
affirmation:  7 days
out of bed by 5:45a: 1 day