New Routine, Fall 2019

We have settled in to the fall routine, I think, with a switch-up in our evening plan for most nights. Since Alex has band practice Mon, Tues, and Thurs until 7:15 (he arrives at home by about 7:45 after putting his instrument away and finding his ride), we are eating dinner like the Europeans!

And snacking a lot between 5:30 and 8. ;)

I haven't quiiiite figured out how best to manage MY time in-between, besides snacking and reading the daily newspaper/working the crossword and sudoku. If Kate has homework, she does that (or more likely, goes up to her room with her iPad to FaceTime a friend while supposedly doing homework). It's interesting that 1), she is in her room, away from me (she used to hate being by herself upstairs if I was downstairs), and 2) she is on the phone like a proper tweenager, right on time. She really gets most homework done in Aftercare, and that's fine with me. We have set wi-fi timers on her devices, so after 7pm she doesn't have access. But last night she wanted to learn a song on her ukelele, and the way she does that is via YouTube videos. I can't not encourage learning! Musical learning, at that! So I let her use my phone (after MAKING her practice piano first, which she was not happy about. I told her I PAY for piano, so that takes priority. She was unconvinced and will make a great lawyer one day).

It's a weird time-interval in the day, at any rate.

I have been known to get in a workout during that time, and it's useful to have an extra half-hour there, in case I just CAN'T get out of bed at 5:30 a.m.

What I really need to do is invite my neighbor over for WINE ON THE PORCH every evening. We've been wanting to do that for ages. Lately it's just too hot, but fingers crossed the summer will wither here shortly and we can enjoy the outdoors again.

I have had time to make meals. And banana bread. And salsa. This week:

Sun - Spaghetti, caesar salad, garlic knots
Mon - Sausage, broccoli, potatoes roasted on sheet pans
Tues - Taco night! with homemade salsa! We have friends who keep giving us giant bags of jalepenos and banana peppers
Wed - Baked chicken thighs, green beans and wild rice
Thu - gotta go with fast food - it's Meet and Greet night at both schools, plus band practice pick-up and one other thing that we're skipping!
Fri - first football game! Hot Dogs at the game, I hope! :)

Been working out...

I haven't posted anything in the "health" category in a loonnng time. But want to record here that I've been working out consistently for 4 weeks: 5 times a week, 30 minutes each time. The minimum that the health people advise, but the maximum I've worked out ... maybe ever. I had a high cholesterol lab result at the beginning of July, and it turns out that was all I needed to motivate myself to start getting out of bed at 5:30 again.

It's no fun. I have to convince myself EVERY morning by saying in my head, "You won't regret it. You won't regret it." But I'm doing it. I decided about a year ago that I don't enjoy walking for exercise. I mean, in a pinch I will do it, especially if I can listen to a good podcast while I walk. But I don't like making that my main activity. I did, for years. It was easy, no equipment required, it was outdoors (fresh air!)... but just like your taste buds change as you get older, so do your exercise preferences.

These days I'm doing videos. I think the Internet has been great for semi-introverts (read: no gyms!) who still want to work on fitness. I try to mix it up with low-impact cardio, some toning with hand weights and abs/core, and really only once a week doing a "yoga flow" that gets the heart pumping -- all from YouTube. If you're in the market for something new to you, I found Pahla B. Fitness, and am liking her. She's goofy, but relatable as a "real" person. She's not a skinny 20-something, and I feel like we could be friends. ;) And of course I still love Yoga with Adriene.

I'm not trying to diet or even watch the scale (much). Just working in hopes of lowering cholesterol.

That's it, that's the post.
(Hee, I love that recent trend in online writing: "That's it. That's the Tweet." etc.) 

All the wonderful things

Positivity: It's what's for breakfast. I started thinking just now of all the wonderful things we've done or witnessed this summer:

- Sent our kids to camp, where they enjoyed the wild and joyous life there, and we enjoyed two weeks of quiet, uninterrupted couple-time (TV -- What We Do In The Shadows made us laugh, and Chernobyl was disturbing and great) (along with our day jobs, of course). This is a luxury so many parents don't have, and even though we don't go on a lot of regular dates, we can count on this time in the summers. It wasn't fancy, but it was good.

- Painted a room! As well as clearing out a lot of clutter from that room, and from other rooms. I donated lots of books and clothes this summer, and that felt great.

- Continued to work, with the help of our nanny. Carli has come to our house just 1 or 2 days during the weeks when the kids are home; just enough to appease and entertain Kate. She's taken them to her neighborhood pool, done errands for me, gone to Target (just to look!) and this week, she introduced Kate to the art of thrifting, for which I will forever be grateful (Kate came home so proud of her Abercrombie shorts for $3! More of this, please!).

- Watched Kate's anxiety about being home "alone" decrease. At the beginning of the summer, she was very worried on the few days we left them without Carli. All my reassuring words weren't enough to convince her, Alex being 15 wasn't enough, and she would text me several times a day asking when I was coming home or saying she was scared of a noise. This week, she found out she had two days of "home alone," and didn't really bat an eyelash. It's just the norm now, nothing to stress about. I hope that will stick.

- Given both kids a measure of independence. Making their own breakfasts and lunches. Doing some laundry. Vacuuming for extra allowance. Today Kate's re-organizing her bathroom. I think those are good skills to have in their life-toolboxes, even if they aren't as spectacular as trips to water parks and Europe and Alaskan cruises, like some of their friends have had this summer.

- But we DID take a trip to the water park, in Destin! And spent a day on a pontoon boat. And long, lazy days at the beach and the pool. We spent 7 days together, smelling like sunscreen and doing very little productive. I'm so grateful for that week.

- Attended several pool parties at our neighbors' house. There's another one this weekend, and the kids will even get to attend. :)

- Shuttled Alex to and from Band Camp for the past 2 weeks! And that has enabled/required me to work from home more, leave my office early and go in late. This is a little blessing, and has made my summer feel more at ease, actually.

- Experienced a few band rehearsals and watched Alex be AMAZING as part of this talented group! Every time I'm there, my heart swells.

- Started planning a trip to Indianapolis for the Bands of America Grand Nationals competition in November! So we may not have traveled a lot this summer, but we're adding a trip to our schedule for late fall, and it's going to be FUN. And I'm hopeful we'll get to stay somewhere for free, stay tuned.

-  Celebrated Alex's birthday by buying him tickets to the Atlanta Reign homestand -- and next week, Kate and I are going to celebrate last Christmas again, because one of her gifts was tickets to see Shawn Mendes! Experience gifts FOR THE WIN.


Summer's almost over here, y'all. School starts NEXT WEEK for one kid, and we've already bought supplies. Hang on, we're in for a wild ride!

Journal-y

I'm feeling journal-y this morning. Band Camp starts in about 12 minutes for my boy. I'm so excited and happy for him - wishing I could be there to chaperone and watch, but knowing he doesn't really want me there, and that's how it should to be. (I think I will sign up to chaperone next week, though.)  I know it's going to be a great time. I know he's going to excel at this. I pray he will stand out to his directors and develop as a leader, too. I really want that for him. To find a place to shine.

We had a nice weekend, starting on Thursday when I was able to work from home all day (1 day a week, worked this out with Shan in May). Then Friday, I went to the office in the morning, but came home at 11:30 to drive Alex to his sectional rehearsal, and then worked from home in the afternoon again. Shan was out both days and no one noticed I was gone. Not that it matters. But it was so luxurious, and I even got some work done (not all of the work, but some). Kate sat alongside me and finished her summer homework. I think every working parent should have this option in the year of our Lord 2019. Laptops are a thing! VPN access is a thing! Even phones you can take with you, to your home, are a thing -- so even our Customer Service people could have the benefit of a work from home day once in a while. I told our IT guy that last week -- that if he got the technology in place, it would be a huge win for everyone's morale.

Anyway, I worked at home. Friday night went to the New Band Parents' meeting. LOVED IT. Had to try hard not to cry before our band career even begins -- I already feel the emotional part of it. Everyone who spoke said it's the "best decision they ever made" for their family; that their kid has grown so much; found his/her people, made lifelong friendships. Sob! I already adore the kids' director; he seems so honest, so sincere in his goals for all of the kids. I totally want to be Band Boosters President one day. Haha! Like I have time for that. But seriously, I am ALL IN already. Anxious to find my place. I will attend Chaperone training tonight, and hopefully chaperone a football game or two this fall, or practices or whatever. I want to work in the Spirit Shack selling t-shirts. I want to work with Special Events (dinners, banquets). I want to do it ALL. (Except fundraising, lol. Too much pressure there.)

Saturday morning, Alex and I were supposed to work at a (band) car wash. But it was cancelled due to rain in the forecast. Yippie! I didn't have to be anywhere or do anything until 2:00, and that was awesome. At 2:00 I took Kate to a sleepover which she was so excited for; it was a group of girls she really likes and a house with a pool, so she was in heaven. And that meant the rest of us could go to Mass and dinner and finish watching Stranger Things, and so we did.

Then Sunday morning, I did a long yoga video and worked on the NYT Sunday crossword (almost solved it completely but had to give up after I'd spent too much time on it, deciding I needed to turn my attention elsewhere) before going to pick up Kate. Groceries, a trip to shop for workout clothes for Kate -- gymnastics camp this week -- and then a lovely Sunday dinner of maple-glazed salmon and roasted potatoes and broccoli.

It was really great, somehow, because there was some ease in it. No rushing around, no real deadlines or must-dos. I need more days like those.

Here are my menus for this crazy week, in case anyone has read this far down the page:

M - Chicken patty sandwiches and fries, both from the frozen aisle, but this is how it is on a day when we have camp pickup at 5 and then an evening camp event at 6:30.

T - Band Potluck! I am taking pasta salad with peas and celery

W - Chili with rice

Th - Fettuccine w/ Creamy Tomato sauce and broccoli on the side

F - Leftovers or Whatever You Want night

Just point my car in the right direction

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  First of all, Happy 15th Birthday to our Alex!  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

It's incredible to me that he's 15, and coming into his own. I really love his teenager self. I thought nothing would be better than his toddler self, but I'm just constantly floored by what a great kid he is. He celebrated yesterday by attending a live professional video gaming day (I don't know either) and it was awesome, I'm told. He looked so grown up when he got home. There are great things ahead for him this year, I can feel it. 

-----------------

This morning, I have spent the majority of my time coordinating calendars. I hate having three separate ones, but there's a work calendar, our shared family Google calendar, and also my paper planner, which is slightly unnecessary, except it has journal pages and goal-tracking pages and those speak to my heart, so: three calendars it is.

Band Camp starts next week, so I'm trying to line everything up. It takes place here in town, so that means we have to drive Alex there and back twice each day (morning session and evening session), which is going to be tedious. I'm praying to meet a kind mom or senior band member who will share driving duties with me somehow. 

I thought it would be best to have Kate in a camp that week, too, so she's signed up for gymnastics camp. Naturally the pick up and drop off times are slightly different; luckily the two locations are 1 mile apart. 

(It would be so much easier to take the whole week off. And actually, for the first time in my life, I have extra PTO days to use. In fact, I could take the week of Band Camp off and still have days left for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But because we just did Destin week, my good Worker-Bee self says I can't disappear again so soon. Sucks to have a conscience sometimes.)

Well, anyway, juggling WFH days and drop-offs/pick-ups is pretty much our life now. And I guess I do appreciate the paychecks. 

We had a good July 4th weekend. Picked the kids up in Montgomery, and had a nice lunch with Mom and Dad. :) I'm so, so grateful the kids have that time with their grandparents in their memory banks forever. They had to re-calibrate this year, because Tommy took his kids on another trip, but I think it was probably good for everyone. Instead, they got extra time with Michaela and Josh, and I was delighted to hear that my two were really good with them (they are our even younger 2nd cousins, ages 6 and 3). Plus, they had time to work on a lot of summer homework. 

Today I'm feeling ranty about summer homework. While I appreciate the idea of summer reading very much, and can understand why math teachers would want there to be summer math, too, keeping minds sharp and all that... I really don't like it for the kids. Alex, particularly, is taking an AP Humanities course next semester so he's practically taking a whole course this summer, thinly veiled as a "pre-course assignment." Poor kid. He's hoping to finish it this week, before Band Camp starts and takes over his life.

We also need to make up several piano lessons that the kids missed while they were away most of June. So we're working those in. 

And my very first friend from Kindergarten, Melissa, is in town this week, so tomorrow we're meeting her and her family for dinner, unexpectedly.

Camp Report 2019

The kids came home from sleepaway camp at WinShape last Friday (Shawn and I took the day off to pick them up, bonus). They probably -- Kate definitely -- didn't want to leave. It always takes them a day-ish to get back into the "home" mindset.

It takes me some time to recover, as well, because the pick-up day ceremonies are really emotional for me. Not because they've been gone and I miss them so much (HA), but because of the experiences they have there. It's hard to articulate, but when I see each "tribe" perform its chant/cheer (yes, this camp co-opts Native American heritage for its own, which does make me feel a little guilty), in big voices, all together, shouting out their love and pride for their [age group, basically], it just gets to me. WHAT a bonding experience. WHAT energy these college-age counselors share with the campers. What fun! I just love it for them, and it makes me cry somehow. Our camp is structured around a different Bible-verse theme each year, so I get wrapped up in the worship aspect of it, too -- so grateful that they have this focused time to develop their faith. I'm very enthusiastic that it isn't a specifically Catholic-Christian camp, either. I think it benefits them in so many ways to see and participate in different versions of worship/prayer than we normally do.

S. asked me to detail some things about sleepaway camp, and I'm happy to. 

• Both kids went for the first time after second grade, so Alex was nearly 8, and Kate had already turned 8. I thought, at first, this was way too young. However, they had also both stayed away from home for a week in the summer at their grandparents' houses, so it wasn't that big a step for either of them. (We had a friend who initiated the idea, so we went along with them.)
• But the reason I did it was, I needed care for them during the summer, and they had already done years of day-care "summer camp" by that time. I knew we'd need to mix things up eventually. 
• Alex's first year was one-week only (a good way to ease into it), and he went with a friend, making it infinitely easier. They requested each other as cabin-mates. I remember he cried when we picked him up that time, because he wanted so badly to stay on for the 2nd week! (Kate's first year, she'd already seen Alex go for 2 weeks, and wanted a 2-week experience, too.)
• Our camp is 1 hr and 15 minutes away. Just far enough. Some people send their kids by plane, with the camp van retrieving them at the airport, and I cannot fathom that.
• It's expensive. I could expand on that, but it just is what it is. I think it's worth it.
• Packing can be a challenge, if you get stressy about things like that. Now in my 7th year of doing it, I've accumulated the essentials, like rain ponchos and laundry bags and Twin XL sheet sets, etc. The first year, it's a little overwhelming. I know for certain that my kids barely use the sunscreen, bug spray, or stationery/stamps that are on the packing list. ;) 
• No electronics allowed at camp. Best feature of all IMHO.
• I've never bought pre-printed name labels for my kids -- just write our last name with a Sharpie on clothes and sheets and towels and stuff. They've never come home without all their stuff. I will say that girls' camp has been a little more "stuff" intensive than boys' - because Kate wanted an actual comforter instead of just a sleeping bag. LOL. One-time purchase and she will take that comforter to college with her if I have any say in the matter.
• Our camp houses kids in cabins, but they're not rustic. There are six kids and one counselor per cabin, which is an amazing ratio -- I remember summer camp when I was a kid and it was about 25 kids in a cabin with 2 counselors. One night only during their 12 nights away, they do sleep outside in a tent. If it were any other way, I don't think my particular kids would like it as much. We are Not Outdoorsy people.
• They choose 9 skills they'd like to do - everything from "Young Chefs" to Bible Study to Photography, Cheer, Dance, Musical Theater, Archery, Indoor Rock Climbing, Horseback Riding, "Indian Lore," "Lake Life," etc. It pays to chose a couple of skills that are indoors, because it's hot outside in June, in Georgia!
• Food is great at our camp, the kids report. This day and age they have to accommodate any allergies or intolerances. The night they campout, they make "hobos," which are foil packets w/meat, potatoes, cheese, sauce, etc., and of course s'mores. :)
• One thing that was scary when they were littler (and couldn't swim well) was swimming. They take a swim test at the beginning of the week and I know one or two years, they both got "yellow" armbands, meaning they couldn't go in the deep end, and that was probably a little embarrassing. But it was for safety, and they both survived. The photographers tend to make sure to get a picture of the lifeguards that are always at the pools. 
• Camp is good about posting photos every day, although not always of our kids. We coach them to get in front of the cameras. ;) It's fun for us to see what's going on each day at camp and I usually order prints after they come home.
• Registration is EARLY because our camp is so popular -- September of the previous year, in fact. But I would say don't wait any longer than January for most summer camps. Yes, really.
• Both kids have made friends at camp, quickly and easily. Kate came home the first year with a friend to request her second year, and has roomed with the same girl every year since then. Alex met, this year, a kid who rides his bus and goes to his high school that he didn't know (2100 kids at the school)! He and his first camp friend continue to room together. Awww.
• This year was extra special: Alex was chosen to take a special endurance/character test which lasts a full day and includes physical, mental, and camping challenges. He didn't pass (along with 24 others who didn't pass the mile-run uphill), but he "ranked up" and it's a real honor to be chosen. They go get these kids in the middle of the night to tell them they've been tapped, and the whole camp staff is there to greet/congratulate them. My heart!

Ask anything else you want to know and I'll try to answer. I got over being nervous for them very quickly their first years. They are in such good hands, looked after, known by name, and kept very very busy. They simply don't have time to feel homesick, they're having too much fun.

This week, it's been Carli on Monday (and I asked them to go buy us some cat food so that got them out of the house)... I worked from home Tuesday, and Alex had a morning band practice (it was rainy and I had a lot of work to do, so we didn't do anything interesting)... today they're at home by themselves (which is difficult for Kate)... tomorrow Carli comes, and says she's taking them to her neighborhood pool (thank you, C!)... and Friday's at home by themselves again. Then, off to the beach! 

Skipping, Shopping, Sleeping, Summering

I survived last week by skipping the choir rehearsal/party and I'm not even sorry. Then I skipped Sunday's last choir Mass, too! (Related: I read an article recently that made me mad about the church in general. It will take me a long time to process my feelings about it, but it aligned with what I already think/feel about the current, and centuries-old, situation; it made me want to skip church anyway, never mind about the singing. But that's another topic.)

Today I got some stuff for Care Packages for the kids at camp next week. It gets harder every year! I found: Haribo gummy bears; packs of gum; small crossword books; glow bracelets for Kate, a football finger game for Alex (he's 14 - too old for crappy toys but what else goes in a care package??)... no nuts, of course, so that rules out most everything yummy.

On Saturday Kate and I went to the outlets and found a couple of good Memorial Day deals. The one and only store I got to shop in just for me, was the Maidenform store, and if that didn't make me feel OLD, jeez! I have needed new bras forever, so it was a must-do errand. I found some bras in a new size that do fit me; however. HOWEVER. Once I got home and wore one, I realized exactly HOW old-lady they are. They're very high coverage and while I don't normally bare cleavage, I do have a few v-neck and scoop-neck t-shirts and these bras will not work. I feel like the center front comes all the way up to my neck! I'm going to have to take half of them back. The other half will just have to be my winter sweater bras, and I'll have to keep looking. You'd think a girl who worked AT a bra company would do better about wearing the correct bras, but you would be wrong.

Other than that, we shopped at Vineyard Vines and Palmetto Moon, where I bought my first Simply Southern t-shirt. That brand is so uber-popular here right now, I couldn't stand to not have one -- Kate already has 2 or 3 -- and the one we found is cute (Kate picked it). I plan to wear it all summer.

I was in a mood most of the weekend. It was partly because I am not sleeping well. Carpal tunnel wrists are no joke, and have been really achy lately in bed. Would a new mattress and pillows help? Maybe, and we will be investigating that soon. Would working out help? Probably. And it helps sleep in general, which ought to be a clue to me. I've let working out slide again, with the busy-ness of the last couple of weeks of school. Those weeks are just impossible.

So it's summer! It's so HOT, already, in May! What is that going to mean for June and July?! I'm scared to find out, and scared to send Alex to Band Camp in that heat. Yikes. He won't like it, I fear. But maybe they find ways to cool off, who knows. We've been swimming once, all of us, next door at our very generous neighbors' house, and we did an impromptu backyard hot dog dinner that night. Here's hoping for more of those.

The kids leave Sunday for camp. I know we're going to breathe a little sigh of relief once they're settled in, and we will enjoy our two weeks of nightly news, late dinners on the couch, whatever we want to do, and no whining. It'll be lovely! (And then I'll miss them like crazy and want them home.) I do keep wondering if Alex will want to go again next year... especially if he enjoys Band, and/or wants to get a job next year, or or or.... guess we'll just have to see.

I've been making summer treats. We got a new popsicle mold so we've made juice pops, the best one being a fresh strawberry-watermelon pop that I plan to repeat frequently. YUM. I haven't tried the grape juice pop yet. Also pulled out the old ice cream maker, and made a batch of Reese's peanut butter ice cream. Delicious! I'd have that kind of stuff for dinner every night if I could get away with it. Instead, here's the menu:

S - we had our Hamburgers/baked beans/chips Memorial Day meal on Sunday
M - Creamy One-Pan Chicken and Rice, with steamed broccoli on the side
T - Dinner Salads with (Tyson) oven baked chicken tenders
W - Spaghetti
Th - Crock pot BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches with pasta salad
F - Quesadillas and cheese dip/chips 

What is May if not a huge To-Do List?

• Buy graduation cards and write checks for M. in P'cola and B. in Alpharetta.
• Get Emissions tested
• Tag used uniforms for Friday sale DONE*
• Prep Kate's textbooks to sell to the 4th grader we always sell to
• Help with 8th grade graduation night refreshments/clean-up**
• Choir rehearsal (last one!) and get fruit to take to the party***
• 7:30 a.m. dentist appointment Thursday morning
• Noon dismissal Friday and Work From Home - email boss DONE
• Start buying Care Package stuff and writing out cards for kids' summer camp
• Do kids need anything else for camp? Shoes? Sunscreen? Duffle bags? DUFFLE BAGS
• Get something nice for baby C. who is our godson and who will be baptized June 1!!
• Buy myself a swimsuit since I haven't had a new one in a couple of years 
• Buy Alex khakis and black dress shoes since he's growing^
• Make my annual doctor's appointment because I've run out of Singulair
• Fix W4s because we need more money coming in, less being withheld
• Send first marching band payment DONE
• Help dust and vacuum upstairs hahaha

There is a reason I can't focus on work-work, JEEZ.

* I have tagged about 30 uniforms already, and have another full bin of uniforms to sell next time, and then after the last day of school (Friday) I will have even MORE, because Kate is moving up to middle school and it's an entirely new uniform. Gah! I hope I make some money. Well, I hope I break even.

** Last year I was so touched by the moms who served refreshments after Alex's 8th grade graduation - I didn't realize there was a reception, and they worked so hard getting the food set up - it was beautiful and we were very hungry so I was super grateful. Even though it means driving all the way (25 minutes) back to school tonight, I'm happy to volunteer for this.

*** Again, I'll be going all the way back to school/church after dropping Kate off at home at 5:30, but this is our last choir rehearsal of the school year and my last for a while. I've decided to back out of the church choir for next year -- I simply can't dedicate the time and besides that, I have not enjoyed the new/old director. "For that reason, I'm OUT." No guilt. (Maybe a little guilt.)

^ Remembering all those old posts about Alex's height and weight being in the 1st percentile, or the 3rd, and visiting the endocrinologist. He's almost as tall as me (5'2"), which is still not tall, but much taller, and one doctor doubted he could ever reach 5 feet. Anyway, whenever there's an event he needs to dress up for, he has to dig for nice-enough pants (we just don't buy them that often). Whoops. 

Summer in 3 weeks

We couldn't do summer without our college-age nanny. I know the kids would hate me calling her a "nanny," but that's how she functions. I've just learned she's available and I'm so relieved. Last year, she had already lined up another babysitting job several days a week. How could she?! She helped us a little, but not as much as I might have liked.

I only need her a couple days a week, for a scattered week here and there, but Kate just does not like being home "alone" (=with Alex) for long days while I'm at work. I guess I don't blame her -- staying in the house all day for days on end probably isn't ideal. Hopefully when the nanny is there they can go out exploring/shopping a little bit. My next-door neighbor also offered her backyard pool on some of those summer days. AND I'm going to try to work out having 1 day a week to work from home during those weeks.*

It'll be great. Can you believe it's already almost summer??

That reminds me: We've had some really lovely weather lately -- cool spring mornings, very warm in the afternoons but not yet humid and miserable, which is how our summers feel to me. My plants, so far, are hanging in there and doing quite well (no jinxes!!). I still should have put more petunias in each container (they seem a little sparse) but they are flowering, I'm remembering to water and dead-head them, and I'm even rotating the hanging baskets -- which are full-sun plants but hanging in mostly shade -- to the driveway every few days to get a good dose of light. I'm super proud of myself. My Mom gave me the Grumpy Gardener's A to Z book for an early birthday gift, and I just love it.

Back to summer: Not long from now, the kids will be off on their 2-week camp adventure. Kate has a couple of classmates joining her this year, and yesterday after Girl Scouts she was so happy to be the "expert," telling them what to pack. She had a moment, earlier in the year, where she didn't want these school friends encroaching on "her" summer experience (and I can totally sympathize with that), but she is managing to be gracious about it. She told me now she wants to tell them everything, but also doesn't want to ruin the experience for them, which is sweet of her.

Instead of typing up my menu plan for the week (which was a good one, but a lot of the usuals), let's talk about summer food. The one meal we do in the summer that we don't during other times of the year is grilled chicken kabobs over rice. Peppers and onions, too.

I would like to have more meals that are specific to summer. Not necessarily grilled ones, because we still don't have a great grill. Someday. Someday when we have extra money to spend. For now our little Weber is going to have to do. But besides the grill, what feels "summery" to you? Oh, here is one that we do, because it's very spicy so we have to save it for when the kids are away:

Shrimp Durango - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18130/shrimp-durango/ - I love it. Love love love. Cilantro, white wine, and butter. It's like I've died and gone to heaven.

And here are some that I'd like to try, with the kids:

Lobster Rolls - https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/easy-classic-lobster-rolls/ - since we are not New Englanders, we don't eat this very often but I know I would love it

Cowboy Pasta Salad - https://bellyfull.net/2017/06/05/cowboy-pasta-salad/ - My Dad might argue that cowboys don't eat salad, but it sounds delicious!

Crunchy Asain Ramen Salad - https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/crunchy-asian-ramen-noodle-salad/ - I already love this and have made it once or twice for myself or for parties. Might add some shrimp or even grilled chicken for the boys in my house who need their meat.

I need to get to my real work, I guess, boo. Hope you're having a good week, Internet friends!


*I really wish I had been called to teaching. You'd have thought, after all the time I spent playing  teacher when I was little, there'd have been some inkling toward that career path. But no. I think I was looking for the glamour of the business world. (haha!) I also played "office" when I was little. Probably I thought corporate work was somehow better than teaching --more polished, or more professional. I am sure I thought it paid more (but guess what...?) Office work certainly has a few perks, like travel (international travel in my case) and not being on my feet all day and not working with other peoples' snot-nosed kids. Heh. But seriously, Kate and Alex, when you're planning your careers, THINK OF THE SUMMERS.

Band, band, band, band BAND!

I couldn't focus yesterday, and don't seem able to today either, and the reason is BAND. Alex has joined the marching band, and I am both excited and slightly terrified.

Emotion number 1: Excited. This was Alex's idea -- he came to me, I didn't push. And I'm so glad for that. I was content this year (or maybe resigned is a better word), for him to be in concert band only, and not march. Even for next year, if that's what he had decided. He's learned so much during his year of concert band! It's so refined to play onstage like a symphony orchestra! It costs so much less money. It's great! (I'm jealous, even, because I've never played in an instrument ensemble, and although chorus is similar I'd love to experience the instrumental side of it.)

I completely understand why he didn't march this year as a brand-newbie to the school, and why he's been hesitant about it: So Much Commitment. Every Friday. Practice after school 3 times a week. Hot, polyester black (sun-absorbing) uniforms in the Georgia heat. No time for any "life" other than band. 

BUT. His friends from concert band/lunch table encouraged him. The directors of the marching band encouraged him (!! #proudmama). And he can handle the commitment. He is a smart kid who's good at time management. We will help him. And more than anything, I want him to make close friends and memories. High school can be a social upswing, and marching band is a perfect avenue for it.

Emotion number 2: A little bit terrified! The parental commitment is as big, if not bigger, than the student commitment. First of all, there are fees and fundraising and more fees, and then the incidentals like stopping at McDonald's on the way to and from games or competitions, and new water bottles and new instruments someday.... and hoo, boy. 

But more than that, the TIME required of parents is insane, and in very short supply already. They have more volunteer positions for the band than our elementary school has for every activity together. You can be an equipment manager, a bus chaperone, a t-shirt-selling cashier during games or practices, a meal-provider before home games, a launderer and seamstress for uniforms, a planner of banquets, a concession-stand person or a director of the huge color guard competition that our school hosts. OMG, there is a lot. I know it will include Shawn and me developing lifelong friendships with other parents, and I want that for sure... but I'm unsure how we will fit it all into the calendar! (The laundry option does seem like one of the easier volunteer positions, and I was kind-of interested in it, except when I thought about 150 kids' stinky, sweaty clothing and towels being in my car every week. No, thank you, not at all interested.)

It will be fun. I'm really excited, despite my misgivings, and as a result I've been reading the 60-page Handbook and studying the Band Boosters' website instead of focusing on work. ;) I envision we'll have to change our family dinnertime schedule this fall, because practice is until 7:15 three nights a week (8:00 dinner like the Europeans?) and then games on Fridays. It solves one of my summer dilemmas: What will Alex do with his time? Hahaha. Band camp is nearly 2 weeks in July. (How I will occupy Kate those 2 weeks is another question.)

Here we go, though! Let the madness begin!

Helpful ;)

I have to tell a small, funny tale about Alex. He is SUCH a helpful kid, always willing to do whatever we ask him to do -- which frequently means he's tasked with taking meat out of the freezer in the morning, because he's last to leave home on school days, and I always forget to do it myself.

Yesterday I texted him and said, "There's some chicken in freezer, cut into chunks in a Ziploc -- can u put it in the fridge pls?"

"Yeah"

"Thank you xoxo"

"No prob"

And I didn't think another thing about it. I was planning to make these pretzel-coated chicken nuggets, because I find myself with a ton of pretzels* and no one in my house actually LIKES pretzels.

Imagine my surprise when I got home, and found a Ziploc bag of raspberries in the fridge, and my chicken still solid as a rock in the freezer!

He said he just grabbed the closest Ziploc he could find, and "they looked like they were in chunks, so I assumed it was the right one!"

... We had leftover Easter pork tenderloin, instead. ;)

Raspberries.


Our Easter Sunday dinner was so fun. The neighbors came over, and offered to bring both mashed potatoes and a fruit tray with "fluffy dip" (cream cheese and whipped cream and sugar, YUM). Those contributions reduced my stress level significantly, and it was an otherwise easy meal for me to arrange and prepare:

Cheese and crackers for a small hors d'oeuvre (I forgot to slice the summer sausage)
Pork Tenderloin
Sweet and Sour Green Beans (made the day before)
Bacon-Jalepeno Deviled Eggs (made the day before)
Heat and serve rolls
Peach mimosas (Simply Peach + Stella Rosa Peach)
Strawberry lemonade for the kids
3-ingredient Lemon Cake, which Kate and their daughter, A., decorated with sprinkles in the shape of a cross, so smart and sweet!

They came over at 3:00, we ate ate 3:30, and sadly they had to leave by 5:30 because Mr. Neighbor had to go to the airport for a month-long business trip (military). BUT! This was actually good, because I wouldn't have known what to do if they'd stayed and stayed. Get out the Uno cards? Watch a movie? Sit and talk (for 4 hours??) They kept apologizing but it was a huge relief. We cleaned up, then we did watch a movie slash snooze, and then had more cake for "dinner" around 8:00. Perfect holiday, IMO.

Other dinners planned for this week:
(M - Penne pasta casserole with ground turkey and sausage, red sauce and mozzarella)
W - Pretzel chicken nuggets! Pasta salad with veggies
Th - Oven Chicken Fajitas
F - Pizza, lovingly picked up on the way home from work

I'm at work today with a TON of new tasks, so I'd better get to it.

But here we are on Sunday (I do not care for this photo of me - for one thing, it doesn't show the prettiest part of the dress, which is the bright orange hem and sleeve cuffs):

*So many pretzels because Pinterest encouraged me to make these for Easter. They weren't even a Pinterest-Fail! Aren't they the cutest? I always buy pastel M&Ms anyway, so it was fun, and helped me occupy Kate while she was out of school. Girl always needs a crafty project!

Let's Go Out for Drinks

You guys, I SO do not want to do my work today. Good thing it's "fake Friday." Two days off for Easter, hooray! So instead of work let me tell you what I did FUN last night: I went OUT. After choir practice ended at 9:00pm. To a Taphouse.

!!

So rare are the occasions of me going out for beer after an event, that I can't even think of the last time it happened. College, probably. I'm not much of a beer-drinker. In my 20s I drank beer, because pitchers were the easiest and cost-effective option at Manuel's Tavern and at Melton's App & Tap, two places my friends and I frequented in those days.

But then I guess I grew up and started drinking wine instead. Beer had too many calories, back when we counted calories. Lately we barely even drink wine. If I open a bottle for one glass on a Friday night, the bottle sits, corked, for at least a week on my counter, sadly not being drunk (drinken, as Kate still says). Not for lack of wanting to, just lack of time, really. During dinner at home, there's no guarantee that I don't have to go out in the car again for some activity. And when I get home from said activity, when it would be nice to sit down in front of TV with a glass, it's already bedtime (9:00 pm! We are so old). Bah. I know I'm not really missing anything.

ANYWAY. Last night was the 60th birthday of my friend who does not look 60, so her husband texted me early in the week with this: "Drinks after choir for bday." I didn't know he had my number, and wasn't certain whose bday, but figured it out fairly quickly and decided I would join them. Turned out to be a great (small, thankfully) group of people I genuinely like and yet rarely spend time with, outside of choir. I would love for Shawn and me to go out drinking with them again. (We have been, one other time, when we were all invited to a wedding and pre-partied.) Also, I need to have Chris and Lisa over to dinner sometime, because apparently that is a thing I think I need to do to express "I like you." They're great.

It gave me one little glimpse into the future, and I said, "Sometimes I can't wait for the kids to be all grown up so we can do what we WANT again." Immediately I wished I could take it back, nearly slapped my hand over my mouth, because I know, I KNOW that we will be so sad the day they're all grown up and gone. (Unless they come out drinking with us!) Chris said it takes about 6 minutes to get over it. HA! But I know that statement is also false. Life is funny, isn't it? And Time Marches On: This week, we went to our first end-of-year Band Banquet for the high school. END OF year. Alex's first year of high school just began, and is nearly over. He walked away from the 3 of us quickly after we walked into the banquet, off to sit with his lunch-table friends. Praise Jesus.

Sooner than I think, he'll be the one going out for beers with his friends, heaven help me.


P.S. I had one glass of Atlanta Hard Cider and a taste of a friend's Lord Grey Sour Ale, and they were both delicious. So head's up, DH: We will be visiting this Taphouse again, probably while the kids are at camp in 7 short weeks.

Scatterbrained, therefore, bullet-points

• We had a delightful week off -- did the museum and the outlets and lots of family time -- and today I don't feel like doing any work. I feel a little scatterbrained, actually. Can't seem to keep upcoming dates straight. This morning before I left for work, I had to return upstairs to retrieve forgotten things not once, but twice. And I can't decide which job tasks are priority on this Tuesday, which makes me feel very loosey-goosey and not anchored by any deadline. This is a good thing, but it's also a challenge.
• I'm dealing with watery eyes nearly every morning lately, until about 8:30. What gives?! Following in my father's footsteps, I guess, because he's dealt with watery eyes for about a decade now. He even had surgery to fix what the doctor said were blocked tear ducts causing the watery-ness, but it didn't help. Poor Dad. And poor me! It is SUPER annoying. I don't even think it's allergies, but it might be.
• We seem to be in somewhat of a "lean" season, money-wise, right now. Nothing stressful, and we do have savings, but the bank balance just feels low. We're not big spenders, although we had a little spree at the outlet mall over Spring Break -- get this: I got 4 items at the Vera Bradley outlet for less than $100! FOUR things! They were having a 60% off, + 20% off sale. Eighty percent! It was amazing and I have a new purse to show for it. ;) -- anyway, it's a bit of a bummer to feel even the slightest pinch. We owed federal taxes, the tax accountant also costs a pretty penny (worth it), and summer camp ain't cheap, full balance due May 1. The kids are growing (hooray!) and need summer clothes and shoes and Kate needs new uniforms next year for middle school. Plus, I grocery shopped last Wednesday and it already feels like the cupboards are bare, but I'd like to NOT grocery shop again until the weekend. We're FINE, fine fine fine fine, nothing at all to see here, but then I was also thinking that possibly in a year, we'll need to add another small car payment to our monthly budget, and more gasoline and insurance when Alex starts to drive. Ack. One of his buddies turned 15 over the weekend and his parents already bought him a car. Fifteen. Hasn't even taken the written test for the permit. Hello, extravagance. Comparing yourself to others is a bad habit but that's what got me thinking. I've paused my Stitch Fix shipments and I think Shawn is cancelling his SiriusXM subscription. There are certainly other things we could cut if necessary, and it's good to be reminded to take care, to appreciate our usual comfortable (though not excessive) financial padding.
• For Q2 and April, I have decided to focus on home-caring and gardening. I've been obsessed with "yard of the month" pictures lately. Obsessed! Hee hee. Our neighborhood doesn't do YOTM, but Google does! I love when the homeowners stand with their YOTM sign. So cute. Last year my front yard gardening was a complete and total bust; the hanging plants I bought from a school fundraiser died within 2 weeks, I chose Dusty Miller even though I should have known better (I HATE how it gets so leggy), and whatever flowers I chose (marigolds, maybe? Or begonias?) didn't survive my black thumb or the heat. Hope springs eternal, though, and I can only improve over that. I'm spending the time I'd normally be on social media studying garden tips and ideas. Indoors, we want to paint 1) Alex's bedroom, 2) the den and kitchen, and 3) our bedroom/bath. What we REALLY need to paint is our entry/hallway, but we'll have to hire someone for that because it's two stories. And then I'll want new throw pillows and artwork and and and... watch out, checkbook. Sigh.
• Some meals from this week's menu: 
• Crock-pot BBQ pork on slider buns (delicious) with veggies/dip
• Bacon-Ranch Spaghetti and garlic toast (carb heavy but yummy)
• Chili over rice
• Maple-glazed salmon with wild rice and broccoli (meat-free Fridays, such a Lenten sacrifice)

Spring Break Ahead

We're in countdown mode, 3 more days until Spring Break. I have taken the whole week off with the kids, Shawn has taken off 3 days, and Shan (my manager) will also be off the entire week, so it really feels like a full-stop vacation. We're headed to Florida like most of Cobb county, so we'll see everyone on I-85 south, I guess. Pensacola is an atypical stopping place, however; most cars will have to go over the bridges or further south to the beaches, but not ours. I'm so looking forward to being at Mom and Dad's house for a few days.

The Cousins will be in school, unfortunately. But I'm hoping for some outdoor playtime with them on Sunday. After that, I suppose it will be up to us to entertain our kids somewhat. Ideas so far include:

• A trip to Destin, to the outlet mall there (Kate is FOR and this is the only thing we've promised)
• A visit to Pensacola Beach, maybe (I do think it's supposed to be cloudy and not warm enough for swimming, though my kids might disagree)
• Blue Angels practice on Tuesday morning at 11:30 (FREE, but will it be crowded? Possibly, and it's always a little scary (in my mind) to drive onto the Navy base)
• Historic Downtown; Dad particularly wants to take the kids to the main museum, but I always thought it was boring. The only memorable thing to see in that museum is a petrified cat. I also worry about my Dad walking so much. On the other hand, downtown has been restored quite a bit since I was there, and I know there are some fun restaurants we've never tried.
• UWF trails. The university has a well known, woodsy walking trail and it might be the right time of year to be outside in Florida (i.e., not too hot). Plus, I want to plant the idea of touring around college campuses in Alex's head, since that time of our lives is fast approaching! 
• A movie. There's always a Marvel movie playing that some of us want to see. 

I'm not trying to cause stress during a week off, but I do want us to do some interesting things and not just sit around, for the kids' sake (sitting around would be luxurious and welcome for us adults... or at least for me). 

Until then, it's a typical work week. At my work, "typical" means we've had 3 new people start jobs, including a new General Mgr. for the U.S. — and 2 fairly significant people resign. It's always fun here. Meanwhile, I've just celebrated my TENTH anniversary. HAHA! I must be doing something wrong. Truly, I've asked myself, "Why, with all the nonsense, am I never motivated enough to leave?" I'm sure I could be paid more, elsewhere, and I've certainly had my moments of utter defeat, where I've firmly resolved to get out.... and then not gone. I guess the pros still outweigh the cons: Okay pay, flexibility when I need it (though not too much), location location location, and now, gosh, I'm invested. Might as well stay. At this point I'd like to see the company's return to Success, since I've been through its Hard Times.

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What are we eating this week? Some good stuff, actually: 

Sunday: out. We went to Taco Mac and watched the end of the Duke/UCF basketball game which was spectacular fun (if you like Duke)

M - Breaded chicken breasts, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli

T - Homemade sloppy joe's, salad and fries

W - Rigatoni and meatballs, although I'm not making any of it from scratch. I do, however, have some parsley which I will sprinkle over the top to make it look fancy. ;)

Th - Baked potatoes with the rest of the sloppy joe's meat sauce, if desired, or cheese/bacon/sour cream like normal people.

Because we're going out of town, Friday is a "clean out the fridge" meal or cereal, woo hoo!

Always Grateful for a Slow-Start Monday

9:50 a.m. and I just got settled at my desk, after working from home this morning because Kate has a day off from school. She slept until 8:00. So lovely, a child getting extra zzzz's and waking up fuzzy headed and sleepy. Awww. Her friend's mom, of the stay-at-home persuasion, offered to a couple of us working-persuasions to take in our girls today -- how sweet. She's always available for weekday play dates and I'm so thankful for her. And for a slow start, myself, so she wouldn't have extra kids in her house before 9:00: Coffee and a cooked breakfast at home, email checking, clearing up dishes and other little chores. Ahhhh, so nice. I wish every day could start like that.

I narrowly missed getting stuck behind an accident this morning after dropping Kate off, so the bliss was short-lived. A lady in the left lane merged right without even looking, and hit a car in that lane. I was in the far-right (three lanes total) and juuuuust skated by. If I'd been 1 minute behind I'd have had to stop and wait. Eeek. I hate driving. 

Today on the docket are two main tasks: Write up a Talking Points document for our sales team, and edit 2 or 3 articles. Not too demanding, which is perfect for a Monday. My new-ish role -- I'm now solely focused on U.S. marketing, with yet another title, did I tell you? Marketing Communications Specialist, whatever that means (but it's better than Marketing Coordinator, which made me angry 6 months ago when it was given to me; honestly, a person working as long as I have has earned the right NOT to be called a "coordinator") -- anyway, my new-ish role means new responsibilities, many of them recurring tasks. I'm now charged with: 

• Monitoring several of our accounts online (social media, mostly), and reporting on who's doing what (Spy duties! haha!)
• Scanning U.S. healthcare news and adding it to a content calendar
• Boosting social posts and/or creating campaigns
• Maintaining B2B content, which hasn't been updated in at least 2 years

I don't know yet if it's better or worse than what I was doing, but it's slightly different enough that I feel a tiny energetic lift from it, especially here at the beginning, while I get used to the new routine. 

After work, it's at-home yoga and then dinner. I planned a menu this week! It feels monumental after the last several of phoning it in (or going out of town and making Shawn do it). 

Last night, Sunday: Dinner Salads. Alex doesn't eat salad; however, he is away on Sunday nights for church youth group, and he eats there. So last night Kate and I cut lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrots, and added shredded cheddar to a big salad bowl. We offered leftover taco meat with salsa, or cubed ham with hard-boiled egg, your choice of dressing and tortilla chips or croutons. I thought it was perfect and wish I could serve dinner salads once a week, both for ease and for health.

Monday, today: Oven Chicken Fajitas and yellow rice. I'm so excited about this. I hope the kids will eat them. I won't add the cayenne pepper but we have a giant jar of pickled jalapenos with which to make ours spicier. >>UPDATE: Everyone liked this! Even Alex! He even dared to eat a piece of onion and a bell pepper strip! Woo!

T: The ever-popular smoked sausage, mac and cheese, and green beans simple dinner. 

W: Don't kill me, Shawn, but it's make your own pizza night. I have had the prepared crusts in the fridge for a while and it's time to use them. 

Th: Chicken Picante (yes, chicken two times - we had pork the last 2 weeks in a row), black beans and corn. I used to make this all the time and got really sick of it after a while. The timing was fine because the kids wouldn't eat salsa in those days, anyway; but now I think they might be open to trying it. I bought mild salsa of course, and we'll see how it goes. I predict they'll scrape it off, for the most part, but I also know Shawn loves this dish.  UPDATE: Kate gave it 2 thumbs enthusiastically up, and Alex gave it a "so-so" teetering hand but said he would eat again. LOL these two.

F: Leaving it open for whatever. Our church also does a Friday fish fry during Lent, and that might be something we attempt this week. Kate mentioned wanting to go. 

In the beginning of March, I thought it would be fun to actually MAKE a dessert one night a week, and I set it as a monthly goal in my planner. It hasn't yet happened, but maybe I will whip up a box of brownies at some point. I like the idea of it -- normally I don't make desserts, we just eat ice cream or cookies if we have them. But I feel like making and presenting a dessert would make me feel good, and would be more festive. Plus, I'm on a mission to get my family interested in pie. (WHO doesn't like pie?? My family.) Brownies aren't pie, but they're a start. 

My Social Media fast

For Lent this year I decided to go big or go home, and I gave up Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Except for work purposes. ("And maybe a little on Sundays, heh" as I wrote in my farewell post.)

I had found myself clicking on it SO frequently, and SO mindlessly; not just on my phone during downtime, but also anytime I finished a task at my work computer. Or many times when I hadn't finished the task, but the task was uninteresting. Sometimes I would do that thing where, I would close out the app, having learned there was nothing new to see or read, only to go back and re-open it 10 minutes later! WHY!? Dopamine, I guess. Addiction. It was time to quit.

I see this same behavior in my kids, particularly Alex, and it upsets me. I was naively hoping he/they would take my cue and give up social media as well, but that didn't happen. (They both gave up soda.) Still, perhaps they'll learn by osmosis.

It has not been easy. I'm grateful that on Day 2 of the experiment, I left town for a business trip. I had a book with me because of traveling, which I think helped. Actually that's one thing I'm hoping to get out of it -- more time spent reading actual books. 

I'm still reading news online, and therefore seeing some of the trending stories. Yesterday I checked FB for just a minute because one of my closest friends had posted "after a long time," (I got an email, thanks, FB) -- turned out it was a birthday photo of her now-15-year-old, and I'm glad I got to see it, but I was careful NOT to continue scrolling after that.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted. 

Blogging doesn't count as social media, in this instance. Because I said so. ;)

I went to a writing workshop at the work conference (for reference, it was a conference for young breast cancer survivors and my company was exhibiting). I thought a lot about being "a writer." About whether or not I am. (I am.) We were given a prompt, and here's what came out:

"...what I really want to say is -- my gosh, we are all feeling humans. It's interesting that you can put 30 women in a room with paper and pen, and they will WRITE. So many words! We all have all this STUFF inside that wants to be seen -- not heard, but SEEN in letters and curliques of punctuation. We write like our lives depend on it, when given the chance! The time. The quiet. We write to... continue. One day to the next. One paragraph on top of another. Poor penmanship and all, it pours, or drips, out of us. Think of the number of diary pages I have seen. God bless the pen, who takes all of our feelings direct from "where" -- deep inside -- to here, right in front of our eyes."

Yes, I can do that for you! All About Sleepovers

I don't claim to be an expert about sleepovers... not by a long shot! But I guess I have learned a few things that make hosting them easier, and I can certainly share those here.

I think Alex was six when he went on his first overnight sleepover, to our next-door neighbors' house. That was one way to make it infinitely easier -- having it next door! On the side of letting them go to a friend's, here are my rules:

1. I must receive an invitation (text message) from the parent. None of this, "Jimmy invited me to spend the night Friday. His mom said." And no, I'm not going to text his mom. That's inviting yourself over, and is impolite. Tell Jimmy his mom needs to get in touch with me.

2. You can pack your own small bag. (I let them take whatever they want, and just ask at the end to make sure they've got pajamas, toothbrush/toothpaste, a change of clothes and clean underwear.)

3. There should be a confirmed pick-up time, and if you've spent the night at a friend's, I will pick you up. (Unless the parent offers, I don't expect them to host my kid and also drive my kid home. Sometimes they offer and that's great! But if not, my kid = my responsibility.)

When I'm hosting, here's what I usually do:

1. I think it's best to do sleepovers on a Friday, because they'll be tired from school. Brilliant, right? Wasn't my idea, but I have used it with pretty consistent success. For example, Kate and her friend went to bed at 10:00 pm with no prompting from me last Friday. Actually said, "We're tired, we're going to sleep." Mwuah-ha-ha, success. I think when she was younger I usually attempted to get them to bed (ish) by 9:30, knowing they would stay up talking -- because come on, it's a sleepover, staying up late is part of the fun! However, if they're up past MY bedtime, or generally not being quiet, I have never been afraid to tell them to settle down and go to sleep.

2. Dinner: Order pizza. It's fun and it's easier. Now sometimes, if it's my kid's birthday for instance, I'll make his/her favorite meal, and I've never had a guest turn their nose up at spaghetti or chili, although I'm always nervous that will happen. I always ask the guest if they'll eat whatever I'm planning to serve. My advice is to keep it simple, though; save your spicy Thai shrimp dinner that your kids will eat for another night. (On the flip side, my kids have tried a few things away at others' homes that they never would have tried at our table: different fruits, Vietnamese food at the Vietnamese kid's house, etc., so it's up to you.)

3. YES to snacks. Not too many and not all night long, but popcorn is always a treat if they watch a movie (we don't make it often), or maybe buy a type of dessert you don't normally buy, or something fun like that.

4. Let them sleep in the guest room. Or, on the floor in the living room if you don't have a guest room. This has always been a big hit at our house because there's a TV in the guest room, but not in the kids' rooms. I don't mind; keeps them out of my hair!

5. Depending on the kid visiting, the great thing about having a friend over is that they usually occupy themselves so that DH and I can have some time to ourselves. Or.... that is the theory. More often than I would like, I get a surprising, "We're bored."  ....?!? I never know what to do with that. It is not my job to entertain them, though. Usually I throw out "board games?" "Wii Sports?" "Scavenger Hunt? (meaning, they create it for each other and then do the hunting -- just kidding, I've never been smart enough to suggest this. But I wish I had!)" "Watch a movie?" and see if that solves it. Once or twice with girls, I have stupidly suggested we paint nails. DO NOT DO this. It takes forever, and they don't sit still long enough for it to dry, but if you don't help, you will surely have nail polish all over the bathroom floor. The last several years, "making slime" has become THE sleepover activity. Ugh. But at least they do it without me, being "experts." I do try to limit the time they spend on the iPad as much as I can.

6. Breakfast -- I nearly always make cinnamon rolls from a can, or an easy muffin mix. Pancakes on a rare occasion but truly, I'm in it for EASY. I try to have fruit available as well, so they'll tell their parents they had something healthy besides popcorn and pizza, lol! Sometimes I'll take kids to get doughnuts, but not very often.

7. Don't make the experience last too long. Morning, or just after lunch, is a good time to say the sleepover ends. What I've found is that, even very bestest of friends get sick of each other after 24 hours -- that is really too long.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope it helps, S! :)

News and Tidbits

Another weekend, another sleepover.

I try not to say no to those, because I have such happy memories from sleepovers when I was young. My favorite ones were when both Jill and I went to the McWhorters' house, or to our cousins' house, each also having a set of sisters. But I also loved spending the night at Melissa's house, Nikki's house, and Marybeth's in high school. 

This weekend it's a girl from Kate's basketball team who has never been over before, but is very sweet from what I can tell. So yay! Except that: 

• Friday at their school is a half-day (monthly faculty meeting), so they'll have to come to my office or else I'll have to beg another WFH afternoon. My boss has been consistently kind about those lately, but it always makes me nervous to ask, again
• my solitary Saturday-morning coffee time will likely be interrupted. Not huge in the grand scheme of things (maybe I'll just get up earlier?), but it is a kind-of ritual that helps me feel like myself
• and finally, the weather is supposed to be bad this weekend so they'll be stuck in the house with no basement and thus, not very far to go to entertain themselves. 

Now that the complaints are lodged, I should say that I'm happy about it, happy she has friends (and last week it was Alex's turn, so it's fair), and I enjoy feeling like "fun Mom" once in a while.

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This morning the United Methodist Church news is on my mind quite a bit, having, as I do, no fewer than 5 Methodist ministers (and many more Methodist friends) in my college friends-list. Emory is a Methodist university and has a well-regarded theology school associated with it, not to mention its "preacher's kid" tuition discount, which brought many a Methodist student into my life. :) Plus, I love the Methodists; sang in their choir as a very small child and went to their pre-school, even. I especially loved when we visited their church some Sunday mornings, and I got to go to Sunday school! Catholic churches didn't have that and it was so cool to me.

Anyway, their #GC2019 news is sad for many congregants, and I feel for them. But the thing it brings home for me, and what I want to tell my dear Methodist friends is that, once again, we've learned that the Church is a human institution, and thus a flawed one. Who runs the Church/churches? Humans.  So, my feeling is, it's never going to be perfect, and simply can't be. I've learned as a Catholic (over and over again, unfortch) that you just have to kind-of shrug your shoulders, appreciate what you learn from the institution, and accept what it is. I mean, in the case of the Catholics, we have to also be very mad and disgusted and feel hopeless sometimes, too, but mostly we have to continue on. We  separate our own personal faith from the deeply-flawed humans who manage the business of faith. I still stay Catholic in spite of it  (probably because I'm lazy). It's home; besides that, it's a tradition rich with meaning and depth. I like that there's always more to study and learn and question. 

I don't agree that you can't be a "cafeteria Catholic," following some rules or believing some things, but not others. Yes, you can. It's flawed, by definition. I have a mind. You do, too. Our thoughts can be as true - and as flawed - as the church leadership's, but they're no less worthy of thinking. There's room for all of us.

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In related news, sort-of, Shawn and I were asked to be godparents! We've never been godparents together before, so this is exciting! Each of us has one other godchild, but now we'll have little Charlie, our next-door neighbors' 8-month-old, and we are so honored to be asked. They had us to dinner and asked in an awkwardly sweet lull in the conversation. We don't know them all that well yet, but I'm so excited to GET to know them better. And be linked in this special way.

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Final newsworthy item, next week I go to Austin for a tradeshow. I'm looking forward to it and hope it helps me feel some new enthusiasm for my company's work. I could use a shot of enthusiasm, heh.

House; and summer panic

One thing that makes me sad about our move back in 2014 is that we couldn't find a house with a finished basement. I mean, one never expects to find ALL of the things that one wants in a house, I know that. But we gave up a lot of our wish-list items because by the time we found our house/neighborhood, we'd seen SO MANY wrong houses already, and ours was under contract and time was ticking.

We had seen a lot of larger houses, with basements... but they all needed a lot of work. Like, old ugly kitchens, plus needing to renovate the basement, plus paint. Or, newish kitchen, but terrible carpet/floors/bathrooms. We're not very good at working on houses, as it turns out. We were wary of buying something that we'd always want to renovate (but never get around to).

So we are grateful for our house and neighborhood, yes. It was move-in ready and in good shape. But 1) a basement/media room (more space in general) and 2) the master or a guest room on the main floor were things we really did want, and still don't have.

Kinda a bummer. I'm not sure why I'm thinking about that today.

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One of the things I think I'm terrible at, is medium-term planning. Long term, we're finally doing okay, although we have some paperwork we owe our financial planner this week. But medium-term, the time it takes to, say, plan a trip -- or plan summer -- is hard. Summer 2019 is looming, and we have a teen and a pre-teen who don't need a babysitter but don't need to be sitting around on YouTube all day long. They're going to their 2-week, no-devices camp in early June. But what else? What will they do after that?

I tell you I am so weary of setting up summers.

One of my church friends is looking for a very part-time, like one day a week for a couple hours a day, babysitter for her grandson. I think Alex would be great at it; he's good with kids. Is he interested? That I don't know. Should he think about getting another, "real" job? He'll be 15, but not until July. Most things I'm reading say you really need to be 15 to be hired, and even then, it's slim pickings. So maybe babysitting is it? And what, pray tell, will I then do with Kate on those days?

I'm considering a request to work from home one day every week during the summer, for a start. Maybe I can find a pool and take the kids one day a week? I just seriously don't know. I can't deal with the thought of them doing NOTHING.

When I started thinking about summer, that got me thinking about driver's ed. Should Alex be taking that this summer? From what I can see online (today), in our county the 30-hour classroom course is only offered in April or May. He won't be 15 yet, so does he take that the following year, before he gets his actual license? But he has to pass a written test for his permit, at 15... panic panic panic I need a book to give him to study in the meantime, I guess, and how in the HOW am I supposed to teach a kid how to drive? What if I don't do it right? What the heck??? My kid is old enough for me to be thinking about this?

Musicals! Revisiting the me of my teens

I finally listened to "Hamilton" about a month ago. I'm about 4 years late, I realize. It is so good. I want to hear every. single. word. when I have it on. It has made me want to revisit all the musicals I used to love, so today I pulled out my London cast recording of CATS. Ha!! An oldie but a goodie. I had forgotten about the Jellicle Cats and Jennyanydots and Bustopher Jones. My other favorite soundtracks, from back in the day, included:

• The Phantom of the Opera (which I had on cassette)
• A Chorus Line (ditto, a recorded copy)
• Les Miserables, of course - any theater kid must
• Guys and Dolls (THE BEST musical of all time, imho)
• Little Shop of Horrors - dream role, Audrey
• Godspell - when I'm feeling spiritually moved
• Into the Woods - dream role, Cinderella, the end makes me cry 
• Sunday in the Park with George - also makes me cry

Maybe I'll listen to a few of those this week, too. The "well-being" challenge this week on the WLC is to listen to music, 1 song a day at least, that "moves you." Pretty fun.

Day to day I typically just listen to Sirius radio in my car, and a lot of times I prefer either the Symphony channel or Spa. Calming. No lyrics to get in the way of thinking. Sometimes I put it on the Broadway channel but I don't know a lot of the more recent stuff that they play. Then, once the kids are in the car, they flip between Hits 1, The Message, and Disney (Kate) or Alt-Nation (Alex). So having music on that's completely my own, my favorites, is somewhat unusual. I haven't really used my iPhone for music, ever. Had ripped all my CDs to iTunes once, 3 computers and an iPod Nano ago. I guess it's mostly lost to that tiny hard drive now; I've thought I should try to charge up the Nano and see what's still there.

Shawn loves to buy music, and still does, although he got us a family subscription to Apple Music last year, and I like it. I just stream whatever I want to hear (like Hamilton), and don't pay anything extra for it. I can't really understand how to "do" music anymore. I know I don't own the things I stream, and I guess I'm okay with that. Shawn also got a record player this year and is getting back into vinyl, which is fun and funny.

What do you listen to?

Edit: I popped back in to say that when it wasn't musicals, what I mostly listened to in my youth (heh) was light alternative (not the real hard grungy stuff, but REM, U2, etc.), acoustic-guitar singer-songwriter types and mainstream pop, and in the '90s I listened to a lot of country. ;) Once I got married I sort-of defaulted to whatever he listened to, because he has good taste in music. Sometimes I do miss my own music, but apparently not enough to do anything about it.

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We have a weird work week with some extra extra curriculars Monday/Tuesday, plus Valentine's Day, and then Kate's birthday on Friday, but here are 2 meals I have planned anyway.

Ranch Chicken Thighs with Rice - But I'm wanting to bake this instead of cooking it entirely in a skillet.

UPDATE: Verdict on this? A good, if a little bland, weeknight meal. I don't think there was a point in marinating the chicken in Ranch dressing; we couldn't taste it at all. Would use Ranch seasoning instead next time, or add garlic and onion powder.

Spaghetti and spaghetti squash with meat sauce - I have decided I'm not a fan of zucchini noodles, but spaghetti squash works. It feels more substantial to me under sauce. With a Caesar salad and garlic toast for the bread-eaters, lucky ducks.

...and here are some recipes I've pinned lately, that I want to try. Maybe you will, too:

This marinade, I did try already, and the fam concluded it was the best pork tenderloin ever. And even though I normally don't love pork tenderloin, I enjoyed it too.

This Pollo in Potacchio is SO not me! Chicken and tomatoes just don't go together, in my mind. But I'm curious about it, and it's compliant. So it's a maybe.

I used to watch Sara Moulton ALL the time when I was a new bride, newly cooking every night. :) Happy memories. This looks pretty yummy, once I'm eating flour again: Salmon Cakes w/Corn.