Around Here: Week 6 2023

 {February 5-11th}

Dressed up as an old lady for the 100th day of school

Sweet Carly left me one of her yummy candies.
Love that thoughtful girl. 

Jack

Logan

Enjoying... the sweetest little nap Lulu took in my arms before my sister came to pick her up after her sleepover. I knew she was tired, so I gave her her binky and blanket and sat reading my book with her in my arms, and before I knew it, she was out! Oh to have a little one asleep on my lap again! I miss these days!

Blown... away by Carly's little constantly working brain.  The other morning as she was eating breakfast (that she had gotten for herself after getting on her clothes and shoes) she said to me, "It must be really hard to be a special needs parent." She has a student who joins her class twice daily and is special needs (nonverbal) and she said she thought that getting them dressed and ready for the day must be really hard.  I don't know if she was imagining dressing them or asking what they wanted for breakfast, but I love that she was thinking about it. 
That same morning on the way to school Carly said out loud, "I wonder if school was hard for Mrs. Cruz?" Because I am in school and doing homework nearly constantly, she was thinking of when her teacher (who has three kids) was in school and wondering if it was hard for her as well.  

Blowing... Carly's mind when I had her write her Valentine's cards and she figured out it is ValenTINE's not ValenTIME's. Haha! She couldn't believe it. 

Hearing... the best, simplest parenting advice I've ever heard. This doctor who had six kids of his own and has been a counselor for decades said that the kids who turn out best had parents who were "Kind, but firm."  I shared this with Josh and we agreed that this is why we complement each other so well.  He is good at being firm, and I am good at being kind.  So we both promised to try a little harder to go the other way.  Josh will try to be more kind and I will try to be more firm. 

Chatting... with my counselor about my tendency to give everything 100% and feel like I'm failing if I don't, and she encouraged me to try half-assing it. I asked jokingly, "So, half ass is better than no ass?" I am now trying to do things in little bits and spurts.  It goes against my nature, but I'm trying!

Watching... The Parent Test on Hulu. It has been fascinating to see all the parenting styles. I recognize a bit of myself in all of them, and I really enjoyed it. (Think Wife Swap meets Supernanny, sort of).

Reading... Migrations, which is a bit melancholy, but so good; and listening to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow which is very much about gaming (meh) and unrequited love (also meh).  Didn't live up to the hype for me.

Holding... the twins back from doing all the things they want to do.  They want to ride with their friends who drive, and they want to ride dirt bikes at the dunes... but I'm not ready for any of that. So we're making them wait. They hate it, but I think one more year won't hurt. Oh parenting, how hard you are!

Discussing... the Trenton Six when Jack had to do a presentation on it for English. He was putting together his slide show with just the facts: Six black guys in 1948 who were picked up for killing a white storeowner and his wife. Josh and I did a little more research with him to get to the real story which was that justice was NOT served in this case for a long time.  These six men didn't even remotely resemble the description given police of the suspects, but were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to death! By 1951 four of the six men were acquitted. The two remaining were stuck because of plea deals. One died of a heart attack in 1952 while still incarcerated and the other was released in 1954.  It was a good opportunity to talk with our boys about their white privelege, the injustice that minorities see on a daily basis, and how eye witness accounts of things cannot be taken with any validity. 

Embracing... the utter chaos that is our afternoons.  Pick up, drop off, practices, passing out snacks and spending over two hours each day in my car... it's cray-cray. And we haven't even entered actual baseball season yet!!!

Laughing... at Carly as she is getting super into fashion. She has strong opinions about what matches or looks cool, and is always playing with her dresses or nightgowns (holding them up, folding them over) and saying, "ooh this would be a cool dress!" 
Also laughing when Josh sent me a word problem from his curriculum that said "Shelly read her book for a 1/2 hour each afternoon..." Haha!

Deciding... I better expedite Jack's and my passports so they get here before EF Tours needs them to schedule our trip and purchase our plane tickets. Our trip is in about four months!! So exciting! (For those who missed it, a year ago Jack and I signed up to go on a student tour of Rome and Greece with his school this summer. We're so pumped!)

Loving... as always, her little first grade writing.  Her daily ramblings on her Play Plan (who she's going to play with and what they're going to do during free time) or when she writes songs or papers are my favorite. I love her thoughts and her adorable little handwriting. Oh Carly, don't you ever grow up!

Getting... 100% so far in one of my two classes.  I am so proud of myself!

Choosing... to shower and get ready each and everyday even though I rarely leave the house except to drive kids around. Last week I was just feeling kind of down and yucky everyday, so this week I am getting fully ready for the day everyday, and it's amazing what it does not only for my mood but also for my productiveness. Highly recommend.

Helping... Jack memorize the FFA Pledge. Dang that thing is long! Thankfully Wyatt helped as well. 

Enjoying... Josh's shower messages this week. In one class I got a 98% on an assignment and he put: "So you know, a 98 is still great!" cause I teased that I clearly wasn't even trying. Haha!

Putting... together another slideshow for school.  The nice thing about having already made one is that I sort of remember how to do it this time, but it's definitely been a learning curve making brochures and slideshows and writing papers after 18 years.

Interviewing... two teachers for class this week about special education. It was very enlightening and I'm so grateful for all the time that teachers are willing to give me to help me learn more. 

Sounds... like fall outside which is nuts.  It's so dry, and the winter came on with snow so quick, we never lost all our leaves, so there are crunchy leaves blowing all around outside and when I walk through them, it sounds like November, not February. 

Dying... laughing (and promptly texting Josh, my sister and my parents) when Carly saw a tumbleweed blow across the street on our drive to school and she said, "A tumbleweed?!? It's not cowboy times!!!" Bahaha! Where does she get this stuff?

Celebrating... the 100th day of school with first grade, volunteering in my pj's, bathrobe and old lady shower cap, to help the kids make fun projects.  I am cherishing these volunteer opportunities more than ever now that I know I only have one more school year left of them. If all goes well, I'll be teaching in my own classroom when Carly hits third grade (year after next). It's bittersweet for sure. 

Getting... out of the house for dinner with my mom and sister. It was so fun! We got to eat goooood food and talk and laugh, and oh man, did we laugh! When dinner was done, we swung by the house and grabbed the twins to get Crumbl for the fam.  We laughed even harder once the twins joined us, and one thing I love so much about my mom and sister is how much they love my kids.  They truly enjoy being around my boys and it makes my mama heart full to know that. 

Doing... homework all day Saturday until movie night when I stopped and made pizza and cookies for Carly and Wyatt.  The twins went to Grandma Carol's for a sleepover, so it was quiet. 

Teaching... you the words the kids are using these days.  I swear, sometimes my kids talk and I have no idea what they're saying... so I'm here to translate some of it for you. This week we have three terms.  The first is "dip" as in, "We gotta dip" or "I was dippin'" which means simply "leave". Often it means you had to leave because you were gonna get caught or in trouble.  "Ay yo" (pronounced like the letter A followed by yo as in "yo-yo") is something the boys say when you have insulted them or are acting strange.  It's often followed up by "So sus" which means "so suspicious".  "Ay, yo! That's sus" is common, meaning that I'm up to something questionable. 

Feeling... so proud of our rugged boys after they sent me pics of each other on their four wheeler and dirt bikes out at the land with Grandma and Papa. I never imagined that cowboy boots and dirt bikes would be part of our lives, and I'm so so glad they are. 

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Around Here: Week 5 2023

 {January 29-February 4th}

Watching... Alaska The Last Frontier. Gosh I love that show. I am finally up to the most recent season on Hulu, which is during Quarantine. And it's really moving. 

Reading... The Snow Child (again) and listening to The Spare.  To the boys I started The Hunger Games and we are all enjoying it so much. They want me to read "one more chapter" every night, and I am tempted to. haha! The Snow Child is a reread and it was the perfect book for these cold winter days.  It's a very cozy, wholesome book about Alaska and I have loved it just as much the second time as the first. The Spare, written by Prince Harry, is un-put-downable.  I just keep listening, riveted by the talk of his life, the loss of his mother, and his fight against the monarchy for his wife and baby. A quote I loved from his book is: "Is each generation doomed to unwittingly repeat the sins of the last?"

Discussing... Trump as well as the Confederate flag with our boys.  We live in a small town now, and not everyone is as... left wing as we are.  The boys have friends with Confederate flags in their rooms and as such we have had many discussions about what the Confederate flag means and how its underlying racism is not okay.  And about Trump, the boys have heard friends discussing the upcoming election next year and they were saying that some of what Trump did for our country was good. But Josh said that treating everyone like humans is more important than any political wins. Trump's racism and sexism are not something we would want our children to ever emulate, and if that means we pay more for gas or groceries, we're willing to do that. 

Worried... about Wyatt missing a bunch of school.  He couldn't even walk on his foot from the sprain he got playing tag and last week, so he was home.  Then I got him crutches, but those didn't help much since he couldn't seem to figure out how to walk with him. We are giving him through this weekend to see if he can heal up.  The pain is improving, but it's slow progress. 

Swooning... after Josh put the laundry away.  Normally in our marriage that has been my job, but he knows how swamped I have been with homework from my two classes, so he did it. I was so grateful. I think that chores (along with words of affirmation) are my love language. 
Also swooning at the constant shower messages Josh leaves me.  They never get old and never fail to put a smile on my face. 

Creating... a child development matrix for school.  Good night a lot of work and research and time went into that bad boy!

Realizing... that Monday morning late start is my favorite.  The kids don't have to be at school until 9 and 10:15, and that extra hour+ to start the week is just so lovely. 
Also realizing that one of the boys made themselves a sandwich for lunch and forgot it in the fridge. I didn't know who it was, so I left it and they ate it for snack. 

Helping... Carly make her Valentine box.  We executed her idea of an orange cat.  She painted shoebox and I cut out a cat face.  But what made me laugh was the two foam balls she added to that face.  She said they were a "bowtie" but they really looked like unneutered cat balls. Hahahaha!

Living... in my car these days.  I pick up the boys from school, Wyatt, then the twins, then drive the twins to practice, then go get Carly from her school, then sometimes go back to pick up the twins when they're done.  Not to mention the morning run- drop the twins, drop Wyatt, head home to feed and crate up the dogs, then do Carly's hair and take her to school... Oof. The car is my home. 

Grateful... for the beautiful purse my mom got me for my birthday that joins me in the car and holds all the things- ibuprofen, a good book, a snack... anything I could need. 

Waking... up to snow! What in the what? 

Loving... Carly's and my morning goodbyes at drop off.  She gets her backpack on her back, then offers up her cheek for a little snuggle and kiss from mama before hopping out of the car and signing "I love you" to me as she skips off to the double doors. That girl's bounce and light make me so happy. 

Smiling... at the snack Jack packed for Logan.  Most days I pack them a snack to eat as we drive from the high school to their baseball practice, but one day this week I ran out of time and Jack was home sick, so he packed Logan goldfish and a sliver of Laughing Cow cheese (Logan's favorite) and it just made me smile that he knows his brother so well. 

Doing... homework. All day, errday.  It is never ending. 

Making... chicken and dumplings from scratch this week (and using some of the turkey broth I made from our turkey bones at Thanksgiving) in hopes it would give everyone an immune boost as we've had a little bit of sickness running around.  I love making chicken and dumplings (I even make the gravy part from scratch) and honestly, at this point, I love doing anything that's not homework. Haha!

Cherishing... the little notes I get from Carly every night while Josh is putting her to bed. She much prefers that I put her to bed, but she knows that we take turns. While Josh reads a chapter book to the boys, I put Carly to bed; and while I read a chapter book to the boys, Josh puts Carly to bed. So until The Hunger Games is over (that's what I'm reading to them right now) Josh will be putting her to bed. So she has taken to writing me notes asking when my book is over, or telling me how much she loves me, or apologizing for things (like the mess in her room, or staying awake playing). They remind me so much of little Shelly and just squeeze my heart with love for that girl of mine. I still can't believe she's here and I get to be her mom. 

Having... Lulu my niece for a night for my sister who took her big kids to a family roller skating party in Spokane with her husband's side of the familly.  Lu turned two earlier this month and is the cutest little thing.  She is OBSESSED with my sister, so leaving her was nerve wracking (for my sister and me!) but Lu did great!!! She only cried once (when I tried to leave her with Logan for a few minutes) and only tantrumed once (when I took my phone from her- ha!).  The rest of the two days she was here, she was a perfect angel, coloring alongside me as I did homework on my laptop, brushing Carly's Barbie dolls hair, and even helping me make pizza for movie night. She wanted to help with every single step, and it was so much fun to have a toddler again (for a night). Hehe! She went down great for bedtime and her favorite activity was probably playing Play Doh with Carly, Wyatt and me. 

Preparing... my heart for the raising of teenagers, but not quite being ready yet... The twins want to ride in cars with their friends.  They have sophomore friends with licenses. But I am not ready for that, so the answer has been no. And they are STRUGGLING to accept this. But I know too much, I've read too much, and I am not wanting them in a car with a teenager behind the wheel. 

Proud... of Logan's kindness.  He had a friend whose skateboard was broken, so he gave him one of his old decks.  I just love that kids heart. So full of kindness. 

Teaching... you words the kids are using these days.  Truly, part of this is to teach you in case you, too, have teenagers in your life speaking a different language (hah!) but also, I know that someday it will be fun to look back and see the silly ways they expressed themselves.  This week we have "dogs" and "GG".

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