Doing graduation things

I've spent this week doing things for graduation.  In less than eleven weeks, the day will be here.  I ordered his cap & gown, and his announcements.  I've been working on ordering his senior pictures, and I'm going to need to do something in terms of putting together some picture displays.  We really are starting to get close, and there is part of me that is beginning to think it might actually happen.  I know that sounds pessimistic, but there were many, many days when Robert's choices made it seem unlikely.  I am grateful that we are heading in the right direction.  I sincerely hope I am not jinxing myself by writing this post!

Meal planning in our house

About three weeks ago, I began going back to meal planning.  I did really great for two weeks, struggled for a week, and I'm trying to get back into it.  I find I'm much better about it if I think about it ahead of time.  Now, I'm sure this is true for most people, but it's not how I've always done things.  I used to do it such that I would cook whatever sounded good that day.  It was workable when I was home all day, but doesn't not so much when I work outside the home.  It was also very challenging (and unmotivating) when the kids were at swim every evening from at least 5:30-7:30, especially since Thomas wasn't done with basketball until 5:00.  Family meals were non-existent, and we just had a freezer full of things that were easy to microwave.

Now though, we are able to do family dinners again and I want to take advantage of the final few months we are still a family of five around the dinner table.  By using the calendar, I am able to make sure that I have the things we are going to need on hand, and also that we don't keep having the same things over and over again.  I even tried a new recipe last week, and while none of us loved it, we did all appreciate something new.  I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to keep this up for a time!

He has a new perspective

For most of the beginning of our marriage, Andrew had to be up for work 2 or 2-1/2 hours before I had to get up.  His alarm would go off, and he would turn on the TV.  I hated that.  Really hated it.  He would then go take his shower, and then come back to get dressed...sometimes with the TV on again.  I can remember mornings I would be in bed trying to sleep, and I couldn't wait for him to be finished so it would be dark and quiet again.  I would ask many times if he could please find a different way to do this, but he was insistent, so I got over it.

Last year the tables turned.  With Robert having to be on the bus so early, I was up with him.  Before I was working, it made the most sense because I could take a nap, and once I started working, it allowed me to get in the shower before Andrew needed to on those days.  I think I could count on one hand the number of times I needed to turn on the light, and I made an effort to make sure the bedroom door was latched so he couldn't hear us in the hall and out in the family room.  Sometimes though, it wouldn't latch like I had thought, and I can remember him complaining to me about how his sleep was interrupted.  Gee, I wonder what that is like???

Many days now we are both up at the same time so he walks the dog while I am in the shower.  Yesterday though, he wasn't working because he had a dental appointment.  Once upon a time, we would enjoy those days together, but now I am his sub.  I like his classes and he likes knowing that his sub isn't an idiot (you would be surprised how often that occurs).  It meant that he really got to sleep in yesterday, and I tried even harder to respect that.  At the same time, he tries even harder on rare school mornings when I don't have to be up to make sure he lets me sleep as well.  Life experiences help us to appreciate each other even more!

New furniture arrived

At the beginning of the year, Andrew and I decided we could replace the loveseat in our family room.  In July of 2016, the lever to allow one of the seats to recline had broken, and it's the seat in which I usually sit!  It was also showing lots of age and had some rips and tears.  Andrew's parents had actually given us money for it last year, but at the time I couldn't find anything I liked, and then we found out we needed to replace his car so that was the end of that.  We weren't planning to do it this year either, but since my grandmother gave us more than expected and we didn't use it on rugs like we thought we might, we decided to get a new loveseat.  While we were shopping at our furniture store (we still go back to our old town...you can't beat the prices or the service), we found a chair that I absolutely loved.  I had been looking for a big chair to put in our living room to replace the blue rocking chair.  Blue had long been painted over in that room.  It was a discontinued chair, so it was marked way, way down, and the color would work!  We decided to add it to the order, and they were both delivered yesterday.  Everyone loves them both!  Of course we ended up having some major car repair expenses so it was an INCREDIBLY expensive weekend, but life goes on.

A lot of personality in these classrooms

I took a job today that I only took because I knew there is a student teacher and the focus would be on her.  The class of 2019 is a tough class and always has been.  This year is better than it had been because by this point there are so many options that most of them are not all stuck in one class.  However, they all need to take some level of English, so unless they want AP, English III it is.  I'm not really in charge though, and I don't mind getting paid to keep things legal.

Having said all of that, I'm a little astonished at some of these teens.  They really hate being told to put their phones away.  I swear sometimes some of them literally twitch at even the thought of not being able to be staring at the screen.  It see it in my own kids as well, and it makes me crazy.  In addition, there is an amazing lack of respect in many instances.  They can be flat out defiant and refuse to do the work, and they will tell you that.  This is the kind of class that makes me want my kids to be able to graduate and get away from this environment.  Fortunately, it is just this one grade level, and most of the kids here are pretty good.

Our week at the end of February and into the beginning of March

As I look back on this week, I've enjoyed it.  I only worked yesterday and then half day today.  I am so grateful for all of the down time, although it stresses me that we have some unexpected bills (another post).  In addition, track season hasn't begun yet, so it has truly been a peaceful week.  I had a meeting and Thomas had a band concert, but overall it was a rather relaxing week.

After last weekend was so incredibly rainy, this week has been sunnier.  Today, my afternoon is being spent in first grade, and I was out on recess duty.  I love this little school in the country, but the fact that elementary doesn't end until 4:00 is not conducive, most days to my family's schedule.  I also find that I'm not as young as I used to be, and really can only handle 1/2 days most of the time.  Their energy wears me out.

I'm also just pretty worn out most of the time anyway.  I seemed to have reached the stage in life where I'm just not going to sleep well at night.  I've been grateful that I've been able to go back to sleep most mornings this week, because my nights are not only too short, but too awake.  About 3:30 each night I am waking up and I'm just roasting, and then when the heat stops radiating I'm cold because I've been beginning to sweat.  It happens a lot during the day as well, and I realize it is just the joy of my age and hormones.  Life goes on and I'll be fine.

I am looking forward to our weekend.  I am especially excited that I finally purchased a new duster and am ready to clean.  It is the little things in life!

It's a long day

I remember waking up last night just before Midnight and being so excited to realize that I still had over five hours until I had to get up.  I then woke up around 1:30 and knew that I still had 3-1/2 hours until the alarm went off.  I was cautiously optimistic I might be able sleep through the night.  Sadly, NOPE.  I woke up at 3:30 like I've been doing for quite some time now.  I knew I still had time to fall back asleep, but then I heard Abby barking.  I hopped up, but Andrew ran to get her.  He took her out, she went, and then he took her back to Catherine's room.  He had just settled in when Abby barked again.  He went and brought her to our bed.  It took her a bit to settle down, and it took Andrew and I even longer.  At 4:30, I knew there was no more quality sleep left for me.  Sure enough, I had just begun to doze off when the alarm went off at 5:00.  I am working today, and Thomas has a band concert this evening where I have several official responsibilities before and after.  Robert has track practice after school and Andrew is going to remain at school until he is finished.  I'm ready for bed or a quick nap already, but we are many hours away from that.