The Cunningham Family: Around Here: Week 36 2023

{September 3-9th}

Driving... home from the coast after breakfast because we had planned to spend the day on the beach and it was pouring down rain. We weren't interested in staying cooped up with all four kids in my grandma's tiny living room, so we packed up and took off. It was a bummer way to end the trip, but it was nice to get home and still have Monday at home together. I went and met my dad in Quincy to get the dogs, who had been very well behaved for my parents and were sooo happy to see us.

Reading... Tom Lake after finishing The Covenant of Water. Tom Lake was slow to start, but I ended up liking it okay.

Comforting... Wyatt when he witnessed a boy getting run over on the way home from school one day this week. Wyatt's walk home takes him across a highway and as he walked across the street, the boy riding his bike in the crosswalk parallel to him got hit by a car turning right. Somehow, miraculously, the boy was thrown down off his bike but not injured despite not wearing a helmet. The car ran over him, but he was in the center, and none of the tires touched him. What a terrifying thing to witness though.

Love is... replacing the bar of soap in the shower. Thanks, babe.

Being... spoiled by my sister-in-law Julie who dropped off some clothes she was getting rid of. There are so adorable jackets and super cozy sweaters. Thanks J!

Sending... Jack off to see the Lumineers with his friend Roxy and her family. He had a great time and I was so happy for him.

Starting... a new class for my masters in elementary education and honestly? It's going awful. First assignment I got a C and that just rocked me. I cried and Josh said, honestly, it's probably good for the boys to see me struggle. Not everything comes easy to me (they tend to think because I enjoy school that it's always easy) and sometimes there is growth in the struggle. His solid point helped me feel a little less terrible about it.

Laughing... at Piper dreaming during her sleep all the time. She whimpers and softly barks while her legs are going a million miles a minute. It's so cute.

Enjoying... a regular week with every kid in school Tuesday through Friday. It feels really good to be getting into our regular routine after summer.

Joining... my mentor teacher's first day with the boys and then with the girls (they split the classes in half for a slow start in kindergarten at our school) and I loved meeting all of them. It looks like it's going to be an amazing year.

Making a special trip... to the store with Logan when he mentioned that he got extra credit if he bought a book for ELA and brought in the reciept. (He didn't have to tell me twice!) He found a really compelling book about a school shooting that we have agreed to read together. It is seriously unputdownable.

Leaving... Carly in my bed for a minute while I used the bathroom at bedtime, and she fell asleep. The first couple of weeks back at school are no joke, and our girl is exhausted (!!!) everyday.

Attending... a welcoming zoom meeting for the parents of Traffic Safety students. It's really getting real that one of our boys is going to start driving!!!

Doing... homework upstairs all evening one night while Josh manned the kids and they even brought me dinner. I am so grateful to have all of their help and support. Especially while I'm navigating the pickiest, perfectionist teacher ever.

Writing... daily to-do lists so that I can be sure to get everything done I intend to. I swear if it doesn't make it onto my list, it leaves my brain and is gone forever. I am not sure if this is from being in school (I don't have room for anything else???) or if it's a side effect of my fibromyalgia (they call it fibro fog and it makes your thoughts kind of muddy and hard to track).

Grateful... that the twins' school let out early for a power outage so they got to accompany me to the grocery store. They are SO helpful, spreading out to grab what we need, and then helping me bag it all. They hate helping, but they're fun company, so I love when they have to tag along.

Finding... out that on top of getting bad grades in my class, I also failed in another major way. Somehow I missed the email that informed me my sub certificate for subbing at Carly's school was going to expire in June, and now I have to redo the training and apply for a certificate again. Which takes a minimum of 8 weeks through the state of Washington. Which means I won't be able to sub again for two months. I feel like not only am I letting my family down, but also like I'm letting my friends and teachers at the school down. Gosh I'm so mad at myself.

Thankfully... Josh was so incredibly kind about the whole lapsed certificate thing and said he was honestly kind of grateful that I couldn't sub because then I would be around right after school to help keep our boys on track as they settled into the school year. His positive perspective really helped.

Loving... the feeling of Carly doing my hair. She brushed it, then put it in pigtails for me. She is so cute. I wonder if I will ever get over having a daughter.

Happy... by the end of the week that my grade had improved some. I just feel like no matter what I'm doing, I am missing the mark of what this teacher wants. Praying it gets better from here.

Gasping... at Carly's amazing Inside Out art that she did with no tracing! It is so adorable and I'm probably going to end up framing it.

Making... rice krispie treats with my girls help and loving how she wanted to wear her apron and her chef hat. She's just the cutest.

***