Outside

Spent almost the whole day outside- watering plants, picking blackberries, trimming bushes, hanging laundry, playing in water, grilling out. Loving summer!

Retreat Review

My time at the monastery was well spent. I didn't have a great spiritual revelation, but I did have the opportunity to rest and reflect. I enjoyed the silence. I enjoyed the time spent in prayer. I enjoyed reading and walking the grounds.  Really glad I went. 

Retreat

Today is my last day of school!  Leaving directly after for a weekend retreat at a monastery. Yoga and contemplative prayer. 48 hours of silence. Really what I need to end the school year and start an amazing summer!

End of School Party

Tonight is our annual end of the school year neighborhood party. Total dip in the Crock-Pot and a gallon of ice cream in the freeze!

FaceTime Interview

I had a video call Interview for a fine arts middle school in Chattanooga this afternoon. I'm glad they couldn't see I was wearing jeans or that I was sweating like crazy (interviews make me so nervous!) No gut feeling about it but I'm grateful for the opportunity either way. 

Legos

Korra and Nate have been spending a lot of time playing with Legos together lately. 

Hot Glue

I used 7 hot glue sticks making a giant (2 feer by 15 feet) bulletin board. It looks great AND I didnt burn myself!

Iced Coffee

Made a gallon of iced coffee. And it's decaf so I can drink a lot. And I made hazelnut syrup. Mmmm. 

BBQ

Korra and I went to a BBQ this afternoon and had a lovely time. 

Much Needed Date

Got a play date scheduled for Korra so Nate and I could go see Nice Guys. 

Raise!

Just got an email that every employee in our school system is getting a 3% raise next year!

Ice Cream!

5 gallons of ice cream and 3 reading parties... I'm sticky, full, happy, and tired.

Nonstop

I stayed after school to set up a projector and sound system and to finish making a slideshow for our athletic program tonight. Not long after I got home we went to the library for my board meeting and soon after that we went to the hospital to visit a co-worker friend and her new baby. Then it was time to get ready for the college student who we are hosting for the night (Milo from Portland). It has been a nonstop afternoon/evening. 

Google Voice

We still have over 200 books that are overdue and $600 in library fines owed.  I've been calling parents (which I dread), especially since they rarely answer and usually don't have voicemail set up.  So today I tried using Google Voice to text them.  I've sent 67 texts today in the same time it would have taken me to make a dozen calls.  Fingers crossed it works to bring books back!

Soccer Awards Banquet

Instead of my yoga class, I'm in the high school cafeteria with a bunch of parents I don't know for Danny's soccer awards banquet. The upside: delicious Mexican food and getting to see Danny letter. 

Graduation Picnic

A group of former students from my old school organized a picnic on the school grounds as part of their high school graduation celebrations. It was so nice to see these students and some of my former coworkers!

Painting

This girl loves to paint!

Projects

Today's projects include a backyard balance beam for Korra 

and a new to for our picnic table (the other boards were rotten)

Total cost of both projects was $19 for wood and hardware thanks to a neighbor's scrap wood and 10 years worth if accumulated hardware. And it only took us about 2 hours!

2x4s

What do you do when the Home Depot employee tells you they "aren't cutting wood today"?  You make four 8 foot 2x4s fit into your tiny Toyota Yaris. 

Sleep

I'm usually a champion sleeper. I fall asleep less than 15 minutes after laying down and stay sound asleep until 8 hours later. Not so for the last week. It's taken me more than an hour to fall asleep each night, no matter how tired I am or what time I go to bed, and then I'm wide awake at 5 am.  Fingers crossed I get s nap today. 

Thumb Sucking

We've been telling Korra for months that she has to stop sucking her thumb once summer starts. Today was her last day of school and for the first time since she was 6 months old, Korra fell asleep without sucking her thumb! Fingers crossed it continues to be this easy! (Lord knows I need something to be easy with parenting right now!)

Kauai Sand

We got a package in the mail from Kauai today that included a baggie of sand (not fine sand like you are probably thinking it small stones, shells, and pieces of coral). We are having fun looking through it for treasures!

Korra Luv Mom

Korra drew this picture of me and her in the sun and wrote "Korra luv mom."  

Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast for dinner, second night in a row. Strawberry Almond Baked Oatmeal. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/08/strawberry-almond-baked-oatmeal-recipe.html

Soooo good. 

Cousin Time

My nephew Jude is here for the night while Nate and his brother go see Comedy Bang Bang in Atlanta. So far we've gone to the library, had pancakes for dinner, and done some coloring.

Oh, and we've also argued, not shared, and rattled on each other. 

Hold

I've been on hold with the Office of Investigative Services for over 15 minutes.  I've called and left messages 3 times in the last week.  The investigator we were assigned to told me I've already been told what to do.  Then he told me he couldn't talk to me because he hasn't actually been assigned Danny's case and that since Danny is 18, he really needs to speak to Danny anyway.  When I asked if 4:30 was an ok time to have Danny call him, he said he "doesn't really have set hours."  All this because Danny wants a state issued ID. 

Fail

Forgot to set up the projector, laptop, and sound system for the parent meeting at school tonight, so I had to race back to school. I barely had it set up before the meeting began and missed Zumba. Oh, and all my coworkers and the parents saw me in my workout clothes. 

Bye VHS

Just discarded every last VHS tape in the school library!

Slideshow Soundtrack

Know what I'm awful at? Picking music for the end of year slideshow.  Guess that I've been doing for the last hour?

Creative Urges

Maybe it's that summer break is so close I can smell it, but I'm having some powerful creative urges. I want to refinish my kitchen table, build a balance beam for Korra, try that new sewing pattern, and even work in the yard.  I just need to make and do and work with my hands.

One Year

Danny joined our family on Mother's Day last year.  A whole year as s family of 4. It's not easy, but I'm glad we decided to add him to our family. 

My Mother's Day

Watched Sesame Street and ate oatmeal with Korra while waiting for Danny to come home from prom. He texted at midnight (after I was asleep and couldn't argue) to say he has decided to spend the night with friends. Drove 40 minutes to buy a new bike for Danny (Craigslist find). Went swimsuit shopping at Target (gotta get new suits for Kauai!). Ate lunch at Panera (my pick since it is Mother's Day after all). Next up: my Mother's Day nap. 

Prom

Corsage

Did you know a corsage (even an ugly one from Kroger) cost $40?!

#PromParentProblems

Sesame Street

I choose Korra's Sesame Street episodes based on the celebrities who make guest appearances. Today's episode has Lin Manuel Miranda!

Banana Bread

Just made cinnamon pecan banana bread for Korra's teacher. It smells so good, I'm making another batch for myself. 

Cinco de Mayo

Just remembered that it's May 5th, which means that we moved into this house 9 years ago today. 9 years. Wow. 

Stanky

Middle schoolers at the end of field day stink. 

Pintrest Fail

I tried the "easy doll hair cure" I found on Pinterest. 2 of Korra's dolls had some nappy hair, so as directed, I mixed liquid fabric softener and warm water, dunked their hair in, and the attempted to comb it out. Attempted. Could not get the comb through. Ended up pulling hair out, cutting ends off, and then just giving up. Only result, the hair smells good. 

State-Level Interview

As long as we're going to be in Kauai... I went ahead and scheduled a state-level school system interview. I might even be able to write off the cost of my plane ticket in our taxes now! 

Reader

Undermined

Feeling really pissed at some of my coworkers this morning.  It's Field Day, which means the kids are wild.  It also means they have to return their overdue books and pay their fines in order to participate.  I have Poem in Your Pocket Day, where they can clear their fines by memorizing a poem, right before Field Day so that even if they don't have the money, they have an opportunity to show responsibility (which is what the fines are about anyway).  I only had 7 kids clear fines with poems.  And then today, I have a teacher send $20 down to pay all her students' fines.  How does that teach responsibility?  All it teaches them is that they can do what they want and someone will bail them out.  

Teacher Appreciation Week

My principal announced that for teacher appreciation week, we get to wear jeans for the rest of the week. He almost got a standing ovation at the faculty meeting for that one. Really, it's the little things. 

GED Registration

Got Danny registered for summer GED classes this afternoon. So glad it was easier and more successful than our recent trip to the DMV. 

Strawberries

A wonderful friend invited Korra and me to pick strawberries in her garden today!

Mona Lisa and Jean Ralphio

I may have searched IMDB for which episodes of Parks and Rec have Jean Ralphio and Mona Lisa in them and then only watched those back-to-back. 

Integenerational Worship

I lead an experiment at church tonight where everyone worshipped together (we usually break into adults, youth, and kids). I was really nervous that everyone would hate it because it was noisier, more complicated, and different, but I think it went well. I really hope we can make it a regular occurrence because I think it's really important to worship as a family.