Around Here: Week 37 2022

 {September 11-17th}

pc: Carly May

Can you spot all three creepy cousins???

Reorganizing... the kitchen and feeling so happy with the emptier counters. 

Taking... a delicious nap with Grady after waking too early this weekend. He's seriously the best dog ever. 

Accomplishing... the chore lists on Sunday and feeling ready to tackle the week ahead. 

Loving... my dahlias and feeling so proud of them! It took allll summer for them to really get blooming, but now there's no stopping them! So I'm going to enjoy every minute until that first freeze stops them in their tracks. 

Struggling... to drop Wyatt off.  Middle school is so brutal. That's all I will say to honor his privacy... but please say a prayer for him. 

Frustrated... that the bad smoke has made its way over to us.  It is making for such a stressful week.  Thankfully our family was able to help me out (thank you Ethan & Erica!) and one day I picked him up early because of the smoke so I could go sub and he wouldn't have to walk home. 

Feeling... the car rider line woes with Carly, who, at one point, just laid her head on the dashboard when the cars weren't following the line like they're supposed to. Haha! 
(And for those of you who are worried for safety- Carly rides in her carseat all the way to school. Then once we are in the car rider line in the parking lot, she unbuckles and gets ready for drop off.)

Starting... Carly on Xtra Math.  I used it with the twins and Wyatt, and their math skills are really strong because of it. I want her to feel confident about math as well.  Especially since I never did. 

Getting... the mail everyday on the way home and Carly loves jumping out to pet the dogs who live at the house by the mailbox.  There's a new dog with Link and he's so friendly and cute. 

Subbing... in kindergarten and feeling like I was herding cats at the end of the day.  We got kids who walk, kids who bus, and kids who need to go to parent pick up. I was so worried I was going to lose a kid. 

Celebrating... Carly's first library day with book checkout! She's been waiting over a year for this (they don't check out books as kindergartners) and she was delighted. 

Swinging... by Josh's cousins classroom to get the basic rundown before subbing for her for the next four days.  I was so grateful she didn't mind running me through everything and showing me around since it's not at Carly's school. 

Instead of thinking I was a weirdo for needing to see the school beforehand, Januari said she was proud of me for asking for what I needed so I would be less anxious. It was so thoughtful and really touched my heart. 

Thankful... for my friend Emilee who had Carly for me each morning before school, and added an entire additional school to her morning drop off routine.  Carly had a great time with her and her boys and I was able to get to my sub job on time. 

Also thankful for Carly's amazingly responsible brothers who took turns picking her up every afternoon; walking all the way from their schools to hers and getting her home safe. 

Subbing... for second grade on Thursday and reading on all my breaks.  Unfortunately Carly woke up sick Friday and I had to cancel my job for that day.  She felt so crummy, she even took a nap, which is so unlike her. The other good part of that was I was able to pick Wyatt up after school so he didn't have to walk in the wildfire smoke. 

Meeting... my sister in Quincy Saturday morning so that Logan and Wyatt can still spend the day with their cousins and family despite the fact that Carly & I had to cancel since she was feeling crummy.  Wyatt got to go shopping for a Halloween costume with Aunt Roxanne and Ferris & Milo and Logan got to go fishing with Papa Barry.  It was a great day for them while Carly and I rested at home, and Josh & Jack went to work at the land.

***

On my shirt:
"Kindness!"
or
"Don't be a butt."
or 
"I love you."

Around Here: Week 36 2022

 {September 4-10th}

Can you see the praying mantis on the screen? 
He kept me company one day, outside my bedroom window.

Our well loved orange kitty, 
Angel/Ramona/Molly

For Carly

For Logan

For Wyatt

For Jack

Logan & Jack's first day of second grade

Jack & Logan's first day of preschool

My Bogey

My niece's baby brother. Oh how we love him!!

Grandma Pansy, Grandpa Jerry & my dad, Barry

Hosting... a Labor Day gathering for my parents and sister's family and feeling grateful to have a reason to clean my house.  I vacuumed and mopped, and I even swapped out my mop head.  Holy cow that thing was overdo! Haha! Whenever I clean, I think of Sarah at Gocleanco and think how proud she would be of me. 
I didn't take any pictures of our gathering that day, but we had good eats, including a fruit salad (with optional whip cream) that me and my kids devoured! 
It was such a fun day with cousins and laughter and love and lots of last-summer memories made hanging at our house. 

Struggling... this week with brain fog & overwhelm.  I used to be able to multi-task and remember every little thing.  Now I am noticing that I forget stuff all.the.time, and that I am more noise sensitive than ever before.  I was trying to read some paperwork from the kids (syllabus stuff, etc.) and I could not concentrate. It's so weird. I used to pride myself on my ability to carry on despite what was happening around me.  Now I feel very aware of our four kids, two dogs and cat as they make noise and distract me from whatever I am doing. 
Starting school, getting homework done, Carly joining soccer (practice + games), me subbing and picking up extra supplies kept me plenty busy this week.  I keep telling myself it will all start to feel normal soon. (*fingers crossed that's true*)

Noticing... the way that schools here are different from where I grew up.  Logan and Jack are both in agriculture classes (one is ag science and one is ag mechanics) and Jack is also in metal design.  Logan is driving tractors and Jack is actually welding!  I love these classes for them, and they are enjoying them so much.  I also love that this experience will make them more employable on farms around here and is giving them these amazing real life experiences. 

Establishing... rules again, now that we're getting back into school.  

These rules include:

1. No plans

     Things need to be set up in advance. Last minute plans will not be approved. 

2. No means no

     Please do not argue with your mother while your dad is at work. 

3. Bedtime will be early

     We all have to be up early, so bedtime will be adjusted appropriately

4. Snack is a snack, not a meal

     Josh was losing his mind coming home to the kids making nachos or burgers before dinner

5. School is your JOB

     If there is anything that is distracting from this job, expect it to go away

This also included figuring out what our mornings look like.  Everyone has to be up at 6:30am, since we have to leave the house at 7:30 to get the twins and Wyatt dropped off on time.  By the time Carly and I get back from the first round of drop offs, we have about an hour left before her drop off.  We get her fed, hair and teeth brushed and lunches made.  

Driving... Carly to school everyday with "90's Kids" blasting, windows down, the both of us singing along.  This routine has helped her be cheerful at drop off and I'm so grateful!!

Missing... book club this week as I literally forgot we had it. I took Carly to soccer practice, then chatted with Josh and went to bed.  It wasn't until the next day that I realized what I had done.  Oops!

Watching... The Alzheimer's Project on HBO.  It had five episodes, and were all so informative.  Some of it was really hard to watch, but so important.  

Enjoying... that this little stuffed orange kitty has lived so many lives with my children.  With the twins, she was named "Angel" after Aunt Julie's orange cat.  (What's funny is her orange cat was named Sasha, but they mixed Angel, her black & white cat, up with Sasha, and our orange kitty ended up named Angel. Haha!)
With Wyatt, she was Angel, and then Ramona.  (Ramona was after own kitty we got when he was in kindergarten).  
And with Carly, she was called Ramona, and then Molly (after that orange kitty we got during quarantine).  

Taking... care of business this week.  I paid bills, organized the house and ordered some business cards for when I sub.  I think it'll make it easier for teachers to contact me if I leave a card behind. 
I also met with our insurance agent to discuss our life insurance, home owners and car insurance. That's always stressful, but good. 

Calling... all hands on deck for homework time with four kids needing me at the same time.  Thankfully Josh was able to help the twins with their math, and I was able to help the other kids.  Between my four kids I have twenty-four classes & teachers to keep track of.  The twins have 8 each; Wyatt has 7; and Carly has one.  It is so different from the days when I had three boys in school and three teachers.  I'm hoping I start feeling less swamped soon! 

Getting... my first Starbucks drink since joining Noom and counting my calories.  My sister suggested an iced Vanilla Skinny Latte.  Only 70 calories, and it was super good. Highly recommend. 

Eating... lots of yummy meals now that summer is over and we're back in the routine of nightly dinners as a family.  The twins' tacos are beautiful- with red onion & cilantro- I couldn't help photographing it. 

Taking... Carly to the park for a lovely walk. She had so much fun, playing with some other kids with her stuffed animals (which she pushed to the park in her tiny umbrella stroller) and even found some tiny frogs in a wet spot at the park. Her zest for life always brings me joy and makes me glad I said yes. 
I also took the twins to the freshmen football game this week, and it just filled my heart up that they're so involved around school and have friends they want to see and cheer on. 

Spoiling... the kids a little after a run to Walmart for additional school supplies.  I got them a special fall treat (a popcorn/candy corn trail mix) and some Halloween hair bows for Carly. I also got her a new set of dry erase markers since a friend left the lids off hers and they all dried out. Oops! 

Listening... to "Next Thing You Know" and tearing up.  It's so true.  It's going so fast. 

Going... on a fun double date with Josh's brother and his girlfriend. I got fish and chips and a blackberry lemon drop. It was so yummy.  

Checking... the air quality pretty consistently, and feeling terrible for my parents and sister. The air quality in Wenatchee has just been awful! Thankfully it hasn't been too bad in Moses Lake for any length of time. Wyatt's lungs are grateful. 

Deciding... definitively that I am a pen snob. And I'm okay with it.  I tried Bic Cristal Xtra Smooth and I tried the Paper Mate InkJoy and both fell short of my Bic Atlantis. I have loved Bic Atlantis pens since my friend Amber introduced me to them at WSU in 2004.  Nearly twenty years and no pen has ever been better. 
If you have a favorite pen, please share it with me! I'd love to give it a try. 

Facetiming... Jack while he was at the park with cousins in Wenatchee. He and Logan got to play with Royal and see the foster cats my sister has.  Jack also got his Pit Vipers (they're all the rage currently) and now he and Logan both have a pair. 

Thankful... my dad went to visit my grandparents.  I always love hearing how they're doing and knowing that my dad or uncle are there to help with anything that needs doing. 
Also thankful that Josh was able to help my parents out by putting in their flooring.  He earned some extra money, and my parents got their beautiful flooring installed. 

Checking... in this week at 252lbs.  That's 13 pounds lost with Noom!

Closing... out the week with pizza and cookies with Carly & Wyatt for movie night while the twins were out of town. Wyatt helped me make cookies.  He's really getting comfortable in the kitchen and it makes me so proud of him!

***

Love this sentiment.

This is a beautiful thought.

This never gets old.

I can't imagine being Queen from such a young age. 
RIP Queen Elizabeth

100% accurate!