Monday morning babble

My work trip to Philadelphia went well. I made some new friends, and because of what we do, they're all breast cancer survivors. Lovely ladies, making the best of a really shitty thing to happen to them. We enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner one night, 14 of us, which was a trip highlight. The other one was driving from suburbia back into Philly, and seeing this one HUGE, gorgeous bridge. And the third was, of course, Downton Abbey the movie. On a work-day. In a theater with its own brick-oven pizza and reclining seats. One of the best movie experiences of my life, really. ;)

After the trip I was finally motivated to schedule my annual mammogram. I had it this morning. It takes about 6 minutes, total, I don't know why I always put it off. (I mean, I KNOW why, but still.) Sad that it takes a breast cancer conference to get me to make one phone call. I do love my local hospital's women's imaging center, though. They make it easy. (I've been having mammograms for 10 years now! Milestone!)

Today is the last day of the month, and last day of my company's fiscal year, which means work will be abuzz. However, my manager is on vacation, woo hoo! As soon as I finish this post, it means I will be free to do what I need to do without too much interruption, and that always makes me happy. (Happy enough for a Monday anyway.) It's almost October, so I did my Q3 review and Q4 planning last week. I still love my Golden Coil planner. I hope I can afford another one next year; I paid $65 for mine and this fall they raised their prices. I saw a 39-dollar Rifle Paper Co. planner at a gift shop this weekend that would probably work just as well for me... we'll see. Anyway, after a couple of months without setting any real goals besides my 150 minutes a week workout goal (13 weeks in a row!), this morning I added a couple new ones:

1. Take more photos! I have a good iPhone, with a good camera, and I ought to use it more than I do. I'm super sad, for example, that the last time my parents were here I didn't insist on Alex standing with them in his band uniform and on his Confirmation day for photos. Sorry, Mom and Dad. But not even just special occasions -- the daily-round, not-that-interesting photos of the kids at breakfast, or studying at their desks, I never even THINK to take. So my goal is to take 3 photos a day, one in the morning, one at noon, and one at night. Whether or not I post this as a "thing" on Instagram..... no, never mind. I will NOT be posting every photo on Instagram. Maybe a few, but I don't think anyone is that interested. (And isn't this a commentary on the entire world?!)
2. Start thinking about HOLIDAYS. Eeek. We are low on vacation days as always, but we need to DECIDE where we're going to be, and with whom, and how, annnnnnd I need to get some gifts purchased before December 14th. I already have a few, but you know. It takes a while. 
3. Lunch with 2 friends this month, one being my very own husband. So DH, expect an invite soon. It will be nice to see you. ;) 

In the meantime, we're having some yummy dinnertime meals this week chez nous:

Monday: Oven-baked cheeseburger sliders, with fries/sweet potato fries (make both since the boys don't care for the sweet potatoes). 

Tuesday: Cilantro-Lime Skillet Chicken with rice and broccoli.

Wednesday: Ham and Potato Soup with crusty rolls. It's definitely NOT fall here yet, temperature-wise, but this soup is so good and I can't wait around on Mother Nature. 

Thursday: Some kind of chicken, haven't decided yet. With wild rice and green beans. 

Friday: Both kids have things to do, and I'll be a chaperone for band practice until 8:00, so...!

Travel Weekend

It's the eve of a travel day for this working mama, headed to Philadelphia for a Saturday conference. It is such a bummer when a work trip happens on a weekend! Ugh! Won't be home until Sunday afternoon. I'm grateful, though, that my manager usually remembers to tell me I get comp days when I work a weekend.

I might want to use a comp day next week, in fact, because Alex has his Fall Break -- a full week off -- but Kate doesn't. Such is the life of having 2 kids in 2 different school systems, but it kinda stinks. Last year, he didn't get to enjoy anything different about his Fall Break OR his extra February Break. The mom guilt is high. I want to fix it so he's not sitting at home for a week in all the breaks to come -- although to be honest, I think after his summer of all-band-all-the-time, he isn't too sad to have some downtime coming his way.

(Related: Last week I had a day of near melancholy as I realized we only have this school year, plus 2 MORE, with Alex at home. Yes. Two. The number stopped me in my tracks.)

Anyway, we'll be in Philly and I hope to eat a cheese steak! We have plans on the afternoon of Friday, to go see the Downton Abbey movie. It will probably be the best workday ever! For this particular conference, we aren't exhibiting, which means it will just be a non-stressful day of networking and learning.

I will for sure miss my family. (See above, 2 years left!) Especially in the fall, I prefer to be home on weekend mornings, sipping coffee on my back patio in the morning and baking something or making soup in the afternoons. But I will endure 3 nights in a hotel room all by myself, if I must. ;)

3 Reasons I Got Fired Up This Weekend

THREE different things got me well and truly fired up over the last several days. Let me tell you them:

1. An idiot kid posting threatening things on SnapChat, scaring students at Alex's high school so much that they were walking out of class immediately on Thursday. Supposedly, this was a kid who was expelled a few years ago from HHS, and was known as mentally unstable. He didn't mention HHS specifically, only warned "Don't go to school tomorrow if you know what's good for you," or something similar, and it spread like wildfire, scaring parents and kids alike. I saw some administration commentary indicating they had the situation under control with police, but: We had to have a family talk about "Do we send you to school and risk YOUR LIFE if a bomb or shootout is planned? Or do we keep you at home, needlessly interrupting your work if nothing at all happens?" We love him so much, and I know he knows that, but we decided, based on what we knew, that "we will not live our lives in fear" and sent him to school. He said, heartbreakingly, that he felt pretty safe at school in general, and the only thing he'd be a little worried about was his 2nd period class which takes place on a main hallway (the rest are in basement classrooms well away from doors). And I mean, GODDAMMIT. No kid should have to have that kind of understanding of how a shooting works.

It is unacceptable that this was our reality, even once. He went to school SCARED -- he might not admit it, but any amount of going to school nervous/scared is TOO MUCH. I went to work praying Hail Marys and "St. Michael the Archangel, Defend Us in Battle" and had knots in my stomach most of the day.

Nothing happened, ultimately. A lot of kids were absent on Friday. (The school admin had said it would be excused.) County police did contact the kid and I imagine he was properly intimidated. I hope they told him making threats is NOT OKAY. I'm glad we trusted our guts and the systems in place for safety... But STILL.

When administration finally emailed parents Friday around noon, saying they had increased security presence on campus and not to worry, the kid had been handled, I cried. Didn't realize I'd been holding so much stress in. I have a lot more curse words in me about the whole situation.

2. A possible schism: I don't know if you know this, but there's division happening in the American Catholic church. Mostly online, on Twitter, but I discovered it is spreading to "real life," too. There are Very Conservative "Rad Trads" (radical traditionalists, I think), and there are more progressive "Pope Francis/social justice" Catholics. One of the more well-known progressives is Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest who happened to write a popular book about how the Church should be welcoming and loving to our LGBT brothers and sisters. It's called "Building a Bridge."

We have 2 new-ish musicians at my parish, we'll call them Chrissy and Glen. I've enjoyed singing with Chrissy because she tends to love the 4-part harmony, traditional hymns more than the feel-good guitar songs -- and I agree with this, musically. She also really likes this young priest we have (that I can't stand) who is super rigid and preaches about Church Rules and nothing else. All the time. You're a Sinner and don't you forget it. (Barf. Not helpful. Give me something to hold on to, not more guilt.)

Anyway, Glen joined Chrissy and me in the music room this past Saturday night before Mass, and asked if I had met a new seminarian who has just arrived. (I haven't.) "Oh yeah, his name's Ben," Kate chimed in -- she had met him at a school assembly. Glen went on, with an obvious eye-rolling look toward Chrissy, "He's... building a bridge.... Have you heard of Fr. James Martin?" And I put it allllll together and realized these 2, G and C, are clearly part of the Rad Trad crowd.

It was such a quick little comment, and of course with Kate in the room I didn't want to get into it.... But YES, I know who James Martin is, I actually really admire him online. Are you saying Ben is gay, Glen?? Is what I thought to myself. I should have played dumb: "What EVER do you mean??" and made him explain himself. It was just a jerk thing to say. Who cares if Ben is?

Regardless, I don't like the idea that the schism is going to take place right here in my own tiny circle. Just.... No. Don't bring that crap here.

3. A Moms' text thread: Basketball is about to get started. Here's the backstory: Kate has played since the 3rd grade, and her little team of girls has won exactly 1 (o n e) game in all that time (she is now in 6th!). Sunday we got a note saying there were only 5 girls signed up for 6th grade bball, and the athletic director is recommending they "play up" with the 7th grade girls, unless they can get at least 3 more 6th graders registered. Fine by me. Sounds like good experience to play up. No biggie.

Well. One of the moms is all, "Our girls won't get any playing time!" and "We don't want to do this, we need a 6th grade team!" and I don't get it. WHY would you want to field a team with only 5 girls (or even 8)? It means they'll have to wear themselves out playing entire games with no subs. They won't ever win. They won't have a fighting chance! Who CARES if they play with 7th grade?!

I was so annoyed. I wasn't going to argue, but this 1 mom (whom I don't like anyway) kept texting. Finally I said my piece: "I'd like them to win once in a while. If they're outnumbered by every other 6th grade team, I feel like that's less likely." No one argued back. (SO THERE.) Maybe I should've kept out of it but I didn't think they were thinking straight.

All this drama!! Too much for one weekend!

Big Kids

A sophomore in high school, 15 year-old boy, who has a learner's permit to drive. And a sixth grader -- middle school, who does her own hair and definitely does NOT want to wear clothes from Justice anymore.

These are big kids living in my house and it's surprising sometimes. They take care of themselves (mostly). They manage their time and homework (pretty well). They shower without being asked to do so.

They both have such great personalities. You know what's awesome, with bigger kids? Joking around. When someone comes up with the perfect sarcastic one-liner, and everyone gets it, and it's FUNNY. We have some of the best laughs around the dinner table lately.

I have to share a photo that I just found on the Band parents' FB page: 

Newest marching clarinets C. and Alex

I just need to get one of him in his shako and plumes, with his instrument, so you can see the full pomp and circumstance. But THIS KID! I am so proud of him. C. next to him is a freshman, who looked like a deer in headlights the first few days of band camp. I think (hope) that Alex has been able to welcome and guide him along as he gets to know high school, just as a kid named Nick did for Alex last year. I hope that these two will be good friends -- the kid behind them is the only other male clarinetist, a senior. I bet the 3 of them have fun.

We have had fun. From the first home football game, when Mom and Dad visited and went with us, to the most recent Saturday band camp days with mini "performances" at the end for parents, to the first away game last week, we are learning the ropes and sitting on a lot of metal stadium benches. I've volunteered as a chaperone a couple of times, a seamstress a couple of times, and just last weekend, a concessions server (and Shawn was a Grill Dad). Hoo boy, it is a lot! But it's the best lot -- I'm having the time of my life. 

Guess what starts this week? Kate's middle school Drama Club. They are producing Aladdin, Jr. in January. I already have a volunteer title for that, too! And I'm feeling not stressed, but "BRING IT." I'm so excited for these two, and just love watching them do really impressive things.