The Cunningham Family: 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!

***