Crayon Breaker

When it was time to clean up and leave the library, one of the kindergartens refused to stop coloring. When I took away his coloring sheet, he looked me in the eyes, held up his crayon, and snapped it in half. 

It kind of felt like the glove slap of a duel challenge. 

Nate's tshirt quilt

For the past few months I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for Nate. I used 20 squares from his tshirts (all backed with iron-on interfacing) and 4 of his dress shirts, plus some fabric he picked out. The back is a true patchwork quilt. I did all of the top-stitching by hand, first around each square and then by adding accent stitching around the designs on the shirts. 

This was one of the most enjoyable projects I've ever worked on, and I'm so proud of the result. It's so Nate. 

Lead Climbing

On Sunday Korra went to a different climbing gym to learn how to do lead climbing. That's where you clip your rope in as you climb. It's cool that she has the opportunity to learn such a cool skill and I'm so proud of how much she's grown in her confidence. 

Weak Coffee

I brewed an entire pot of coffee... but forgot to put in the coffee grounds. Good thing I'm not in a hurry this morning. 

Puss Caterpillar

The kids found a couple of these venomous caterpillars on the farm today.  Cute but potentially dangerous!

https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/09/07/despite-its-innocently-furry-appearance-the-puss-caterpillars-sting-brutal

I want that

I want this so bad

Used Bandaids

I don't know what's happening around this school, but I have picked up so many used bandaids in the library this week.  It's disgusting.  

Coffee by Myself

At my school, we are allowed one late day per week- a day when we can come in 45 minutes later than our usual time. Today I took my late day because I had a 7 AM dermatologist appointment, but I didn’t know how long it would take. The appointment only took 10 minutes so I decided to spend my remaining 30 minutes of time before I had to be at work at a café, enjoying a blueberry muffin and a latte and my book. It was a lovely start to my morning. 

Restful Long Weekend

 Over the long weekend, we went to the Dragon Con parade, went swimming with friends, and then had lots of quiet downtime.  I finished a 1000 piece puzzle while listening to an audiobook and took 3 naps.  It was exactly what I needed.

Tree Branch

A bad storm blew through last night and while we watched on our balcony, on the other side of our building a big branch fell, just missing the AC units, cars, and neighbor’s windows.  

Coloring Dad’s Tattoos

Korra got a set of temporary tattoo markers for her birthday. She’s been coloring Nate’s tattoos since she was little, but these have upper her game. 

"Reverse Scavenger Hunt"

We've had inside recess the last few days because of the extreme heat.  Two 5th grade girls came by and asked if they could do more of the library scavenger hunt that we did in class.  I said, "what if we do a reverse hunt? I'll give you a book and you show me where it should go."  They did this for 20 minutes and told me it was the best recess ever.  And all my books got shelved :)

Birthday Measurements

Today is my girl's 14th birthday.  

Since she was 2 years old, we've measured her every 6 months and every 6 months, she's consistently grown 1-1.5 inches.  Not this time though.  Since March, Korra's only grown half an inch.  Guess the pediatrician was right when she told us Korra was probably about her adult height.  She's currently just shy of 5 feet tall.

iRobot Customer Support

Twice in the last week, our new robot vacuum has become disconnected and won't reconnect.  Both times I filled out the "contact me" form on their website and waited 3+ days before calling the phone number and then waiting on hold for over 30 minutes only to have them suggest a factory reset.  Yes, it has fixed the issue both times but I would prefer not to have to do a factory reset once a week.  This robot vacuum is supposed to save me time, but it’s currently doing the opposite. 

CMA Drama

Over a month ago, we decided to have Korra's birthday party at the neighborhood clubhouse.  Because we're renters, we don't have access to the portal. The CMA (community management association) insisted we needed to go through our homeowner, who lives in Maryland, is 75 years old, and who is caring for her husband who has dementia. Yeah, not going to happen. A neighbor said she would do it for us, so she started the process on the portal and then sent me the paperwork. I filled it out, scanned a copy to her which she uploaded, and then I mailed the print copy along with the check to the provided address. 3 weeks later, CMA emailed her that they had not received payment. I checked with our bank and they had already deposited the check.  How they could deposit a check that was wrapped in the application, a check that had our name and address and the date of the reservation all on it and somehow not know what it was for... it's confusing.  They then sent a confirmation of the keycard number that will unlock the clubhouse.  It was not the keycard number I provided on the form.  Nope, they ignored that completely and went to the trouble to look up our neighbor's keycard number.  When she requested they change it, they refused (so why send the email asking to let them know if the card number was wrong?!)

Thankfully, everything went smoothly on the day of the party but I'm dreading some sort of follow-up email that we didn't scrub the toilet with a toothbrush or something.  

Box Seats

On Saturday night we attended the Atlanta United match with some friends who had box seats through their work. The match was awful, but the seats, food, and company were amazing. We’re becoming quite spoiled when it comes to soccer matches. 

Korra’s Birthday Party

On Saturday afternoon we hosted 8 of Korra’s friends at the neighborhood pool/clubhouse for her birthday party. Korra requested a Bluey themed party despite not watching it as a young child. They played “keepy-uppy” and pass the parcel and threw each other into the pool.  I got zero pictures, but they all seemed to have a good time. Nate and I survived but reading on the periphery. 

High School Reuinion

Last night at Korra's climbing gym, a man came up to me and asked, "Is your name Katie?" When I responded yes, he said. "I'm Philip."  He looked kind of familiar so I was racking my brain for a few seconds about how I know this dude and then he said, "we went to high school together!"  The small talk was awkward, in part because I barely remember him.  It's nothing personal, I just barely remember anyone from high school.  Graduation was over 24 years ago and I didn't go to college with any of them.  It got extra weird when he asked to take a selfie to send to one of my best friends from high school that he said he still keeps in touch with.  I was like. "Oh, please don't send that to her. We don't talk anymore" and then I rambled for a minute about how our friendship crashed and burned 15 years ago.  It was, as the kids say, cringe.  He asked for my phone number and introduced me to his wife before I was able to leave.  It was so very weird and I haven't stopped thinking about it.  

Poop

Kindergarten was just in the library and now it smells like poop.  I figured out one kid who the smell was coming from and sent them back to class for a change of clothes, but the lingering smell leads me to believe that there was at least one other poopy-pants I didn't catch.  Ah, the joys of teaching elementary school.  

Copier Fairy

A teacher came to me frantic because she needed 2 extra copies ASAP, but the copier was jammed.  I asked her to go to one of the other 3 copiers while I unjammed it, but she said ALL FOUR copiers were not working.  I don't mind unjamming, replacing toner, etc, but the fact that multiple teachers noticed the copier wasn't working and then walked away without fixing it or even just letting me know infuriated me.  I guess they thought the copier fairy would just notice and fix it.  So annoying.

I'm the Champion

While giving instructions for an activity with the 5th graders I said, "when you're done with your paper, hold it in the air so I'll know you're a champion."  The first kid who finished declared, "I'm the champion!" while putting their paper in the air.  The next kid to finish said, "Say I'm a champion, Ms B!" What followed was every kid in the class getting told "You're the champion!" as soon as they finished their assignment.  It was pretty great.

Ashville Extras

The main reason to come to Asheville this weekend was for the wedding, but we also got to stay with my parents and visit (and celebrate their 46th anniversary!) 

We also made some time to eat at Biscuit Head and check out the Asheville Pickle Festival!

Wedding in Asheville

We're in Asheville this weekend for a friend's wedding. The weather was perfect, the venue was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the couple was very happy. 

I especially loved that the wedding decor (from the flowers to the table settings to the flower girls' dresses) perfectly matched the cross stitching I made as a gift for them. Also, we had so much in common with the family we were seated with and thoroughly enjoyed talking with them. 

Heat Wave

It's been so so so hot in Atlanta. In the mid 90s every day with high humidity. We've had to move recess inside because of heatstroke risk. Really, really looking forward to the fall. 

Sewing Mistake

I'm pouting, eating ice cream, and watching trash tv because I made a mistake while working on Nate's quilt that will be very time consuming to fix.  I'm giving myself 30 minutes to silk and then I'm going to start the process to fix it. 

Cross Stitched Wedding Gift

I finished my most ambitious cross stitching project in less than a month (and 6 days before the wedding/deadline!)

(I did frame it, but the glass is too reflective for a good picture). 

Paddington on Broadway!

 We bought tickets to see Paddington in New York City for Spring Break!!

Baby Shower

 My mom came into town last night so of course we’re took her to dinner Brickstore. Today she joined Korra at a baby shower I cohosted for a friend who I met at my book club. It was so much fun and seeing the mom-to-be so happy felt incredible. The food was yummy, the games were fun, and there were plenty of conversations about good books. 

Bike Bus

I biked into school with nearly 60 of my students this morning!  What a fun way to start the day!

Walmart Delivery

Nate ordered a game from Walmart. We got an email that our package had been delivered with this picture:

1) that is not my house

2) there is no package in that photo

Even with that evidence, it still took 2 calls to Walmart’s customer service line to get them to give us a refund. 

Painted Puzzle

I painted this puzzle as a gift for a friend’s baby shower. The idea is that guests can sign the back of the pieces. Pretty pleased with how it turned out!

Things the kids at school did this week

A 2nd grader teared up when he saw that the whole series of books he loves was all on the shelf and ready for him to check out. “They’re all here!  All of them!”

Two first grade boys pretended that pencils were their penises and that they were peeing all over the library. 

A whole class of kindergarteners literally rolled on the carpet laughing during a read-aloud of The Book with No Pictures. 

A 4th grader said I tell “knock-off dad jokes” while another kid in the class said, “that’s the first joke you’ve ever told us that was actually a little funny.”

4:30 Dinner

Since Korra made the most advanced climbing team, practices are now half an hour longer (5:30-8, twice a week). That means that were eating dinner on Mondays and Thursdays at 4:30. Korra and I are thrilled (we're always super hungry right after school anyway).

Recovery Weekend

Although my stamina increased every day (and therefore my exhaustion was a little less each day), the weekend was spend recovering. Very little talking, very little socializing, lots of cross stitching, reading, and watching TV. We did ride our bikes as a family to get pizza and Korra had a Girl Scout meeting, but otherwise we kept close to home. Hopefully that will help this week go even more smoothly than the last. 

1st bus ride

Despite the fact that she’s almost 14, Korra rode the school bus for the first time today. There was no bus for her elementary school (and it was only half a mile from our house). The bus didn’t come to our place for middle school because again, we were only half a mile away from the school. It’s supposed toto be storm again this afternoon and since we’re a mile and a half away, there IS a bus so Korra rode it this morning. She was very nervous but she did it!

Not Moving Consolation Prizes

Nate and I have been putting off several purchases because we were hoping we might be moving to New Zealand. While the likelihood of that isn’t zero, it has lowered enough for us to buy a few things such as an espresso machine and a new Roomba. 

Weather Gamble

Korra and I checked the weather this morning and decided to take a gamble and bike to school. (30% chance of rain at 4:00). At 3:15, it started pouring. We both bike home from 3:30-3:45. We were very wet but survived. 

10 Flights of Stairs

In 15 minutes, I climbed 10 flights of stairs and walked over half a mile- all to bring Kindergarteners to their classrooms.  I'm sweatier than I'd like to be, but it was a good start to the day!

First day of high school

Because Korra’s high school starts an hour earlier than her middle school and because today is still preplanning for me, I was able to see her briefly this morning (and take a picture).

I was tearing up and she said, "Why are YOU crying?  I'm the one doing the hard thing!" and I couldn't help but think that what I'm doing is pretty hard, too.  My child is a piece of my heart that lives outside my body and goes around independently.  I wish with all my heart I could go with her and see what it's like and cheer her on.  (I may or may not be watching her little dot on Google Maps to see which building she's in).  

Movie Weekend

This weekend we watching 2 movies in the theater and one at home- The Odyssey, The Drama, and Spider-Man Brand New Day.  All 3 movies had Zendaya in them, 2 had Tom Holland, and 2 had Robert Pattinson. All 3 were enjoyable (in part for the company we had while watching them) and it was a good way to be both restful and social this weekend while I recover from preplanning and prepare for the first week of school. 

High School Freshman Orientation

Last night Korra went to her high school open house (specifically for 9th graders).  Before the parent meeting, they had an hour long block party for her grade.  There were snow cones and cotton candy and games and they tie-dyed Class of 2030 t-shirts.

I have already been so impressed by the opportunities Korra will have at this high school- they have fantastic courses and extracurricular activities, and consistent, intentional planning and leadership.  I think she's going to grow and learn and have so much fun.

And while holding all that gratitude in my mind and heart, I'm also aware of the insane inequity that exists between this (and really all) public schools.  This is a Wealthy with a capital W school.  The majority of the kids come from families with plenty of money, lots of education, and high-paying, high-status jobs.  In the same school district- just a few miles down the road- there are other public high schools that have very little of the resources, courses, and activities this school offers (most of which is sponsored by the PTA).  I'm holding it all, but unsure what to do about it.  I worked in low-income schools for years, and rarely felt like I was making any difference.

After the Open House, Korra and some friends walked across the street from the school to have dinner out together.  It hit me all at once that she's a HIGH SCHOOLER.  A real teenager.  Wow.

Helper

Korra biked to school with me this morning to help put all the books back on the new shelves and we got to enjoy a wonderful lunch together at the pizza place near the school. 

3rd place

Today’s team building activity was a scavenger hunt through Grant Park. It was really fun, but so hot and humid, everyone was pretty miserable by the end. My team won 3rd place and our prize was mustaches. 

I wore mine with pride, even though it meant my face couldn’t unlock my phone. 

Alarm Set

I’ve got my alarm set and my backpack packed. Ready to head back to school for preplanning tomorrow. 

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

I made these for dessert tonight and they were a big hit. I halved everything except the strawberry preserves and did it in a 9x9 pan. Really delicious and really easy. 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/strawberry-oatmeal-bars-recipe-2040764

Brickstore Dinner

Todd and Sarah came into town tonight for dinner so we went to one of our favorite places. Korra and Todd decided to try out the new playground equipment nearby…

E-bike Family

We bought a used ebike for Nate today!  Can’t wait to see how much less we can use the car (and how much less we can suffer through traffic!)

Spamalot!

Friends invited us to go see Spamalot with them at the Fox Theater on Wednesday. It was so much fun (and extra lovely to catch up with them). 

Hamster Wheel

I bought this a few years ago for Korra’s birthday party. It continues to be a hit every summer, even as the kids have become teens. Korra has two friends over to swim this afternoon and this is keeping them laughing. 

Not a Child

We're invited to a friends' wedding next month. I just saw on their website that it's a child-free event and was like, dang!  Korra would have loved going.  But then I looked at the invitation and it included Korra, which means... Korra isn't considered a child. She's a teenager.  I nearly cried.  I'm glad she gets to go, but also feel really sad to realize, she's not considered a child anymore. She's starting high school in a week.  Wow.

Last Week

It’s my last week of summer so I’m doing a mix of relaxing (rewatching Ted Lasso, going on long walks, reading, taking naps, sewing) and trying to get ready for the school year (practice bike rides to the high school, making some extra meals to freeze, running a few errands). It’s been a good summer and I’m ready for the new school year. I really do love the rhythm the school year gives to my life. 

Shelby, NC

On Friday We drove up to Shelby, North Carolina to visit with some friends who recently moved back to the South. Since this puts us only an hour from my brother and his family, we met halfway for dinner. It was lovely to spend some time together (and we completely forgot to get a picture). 

On Saturday we went to the farmer’s market, swam in the hotel pool, and watched the World Cup match at a local brewery. 

Their almost two year old kept saying “friends, happy” and that pretty much sums it up. 

High school commute

Korra and I successfully biked to her high school today to practice. She was so excited to see her favorite fat orange cat near the high school (she saw him daily a few summers ago when she had a camp at the high school). 

She also finished her online high school PE class today!

Haircut

Last night Korra asked me to cut her hair (and then cut it even shorter). 

…

While she loves it, I’m feeling critical of my hair cutting abilities and want to improve on the cut. She’s unwilling to sit still for any more shaping/styling and it is her hair so I’ll try to defer to her. 

E-bike for Korra

We bought an e-bike off Facebook Marketplace for Korra yesterday. She’s so excited!

Another Cabin Visit

On Thursday afternoon, Nate and I went back up to the cabin.  Korra had such a great week with our cousins and grandparents, but she was ready for a some snuggles with her cat and some alone time- in fact she chose those two things over going to watch the World Cup match with us and some friends tonight.  

Back Pain

My back, around my left shoulder blade, has been hurting since February. This is a spot that flares up every few years, but I don't know what the cause was this time and this is way longer than it usually hurts. When I went to the doctor in the beginning of June, she gave me a PT referral and I've been doing weekly physical therapy for a little over 3 weeks now. I'm doing my exercises every day and even tried dry needling (really made me woozy) and cupping (those were some gross bruises) but no noticable improvement yet. Going to give PT 3 more weeks (until school starts) before heading back to the doctor (definitely a new doctor- my current one is awful) to see what else we can do. It would be really nice to be able to take deep breaths without pain. 

Lots of Sewing

While Korra's been at the cabin for Cousins' Camp, I binged all of of The Other Bennett Sister (the book was amazing and so was the show), did lots of physical therapy, and made some progress on Nate's tshirt quilt. I decided to quilt/piece the back, too, because Nate had several fun dress shirts to contribute to the project and picked out a couple of lively prints from the fabric store. It was really fun and the quilt is just so Nate. Next step is hand quilting the 3 layers together- something I've never tried before!  

I also made some progress on 2 shirts in trying to sew, but it's a lot of trial and error. Pictures to come if/when anything actually gets finished.

Needy Cat

Wherever we go away, Alex becomes extra needy and attention-seeking when we get back. Last night be began meowing, biting, licking, and climbing all over us beginning at 3:45. When I finally got up at 5:45, he still has plenty of food- he just wanted me to be up with him. Good thing I can take a nap later. 

4th of July Cabin Visit

We spent a long weekend (Wednesday through today) at the cabin with most of Nate's family. It rained almost every afternoon, but we managed to squeeze in our annual tubing trip. 

Korra is straying there with her cousins and grandparents for a few extra days. 

Driving through hail

On the way to the cabin yesterday, we hit an awful thunderstorm- complete with hail. It was a tense 20 minutes, but we made it through!  We were kind of hoping for hail damage on the car- at her age, it won’t take much for our insurance to count her as totaled and we could definitely get more money from insurance than we would if we just sell her. Alas, the Prius persists. (Though really, I’m thankful for how reliable this 15 year old car with 240,000 miles has been).

Home for a day

We managed to get all the girls packed up and in the car by 10:30 and I managed to parallel park the giant SUV (these are both incredibly impressive feats). 

We stopped for blizzards at Dairy Queen (2 of the girls had never had them before!) and still made it home by 1:30. 

Overall, it was a fun, smooth trip and I’m so glad I got to go with them. 

Now I need to do a bunch of laundry and repack because we’re leaving tomorrow afternoon for a long weekend at the cabin. 

Chattanooga Day 3

Today we started at Rock City. So glad we went in the morning because even at 10:30 am it was 90 degrees. 

After lunch at the Ruby Falls cafe, we had some time to kill before our 3:00 cave tour. Thankfully teenager girls are way better at entertaining themselves than they were just a few years ago. 

Everyone enjoyed the cave and waterfall, especially because it was so cool in there. 

After a quick dinner at the Purple Daisy, we were all ready to head to the house for showers and some quiet chill time. 

Another successful and enjoyable day in Chattanooga!

Chattanooga Day 2

The girls were up earlier than I thought they’d be and insisted on making their own eggs and pancakes for breakfast. 

First we went to play some pinball. While it’s no Pinball Palace, it was still really fun. 

We took the free electric shuttle across the river and got bento boxes for lunch. We did a little shopping and then rode the carousel. Even though it was really hot, they didn’t feel like changing into swimsuits for get wet the fountain, so we got ice cream and then went back to the pinball museum for another hour of play. 

We made tacos at the AirBnB for dinner and then watched Miss Congeniality before crashing. Another fun day!

Chattanooga Day 1

Yesterday at 4:45pm, Hertz called to tell me that the 12 passenger van I reserved (and already paid for) had been sold and wouldn’t be available for me to pick up the next morning. They offered no solution so after lots of arguing (and invoking repeatedly that this was for a Girl Scout trip), they agreed to to give us 2 cars for the amount I’d already paid. Not an ideal situation, but at least we could get the girls to Chattanooga. 

We loaded up the 5 girls between the two cars and got to Chattanooga in time for lunch. After sandwiches, we attempted a round of mini golf (It was crazy humid) before it started to rain. 

We went to the grocery store before heading to the AirBnB. We made pizza for dinner and then watched 10 Things I Hate About You. Overall, a successful first day!

Snuggly Cat

 Alex has been really snuggly since we got back from DC. 

Beans!

One of my summer goals is to try some new bean recipes, so I went to the library. 

Home again

We left the hotel at 5am to take the Metro, train, and then shuttle to the airport for our 8am flight. While it was unpleasant, it was nice to be home and unpacked by noon. 

DC Day 5

This morning we went to Word Planet- a museum all about language. I think it was my favorite museum we’ve done. It was absolutely delightful. 

We had lunch at Unconventional Diner and then walked over to the American Art Museum. I love any chance you see Kehinde Wiley’s paintings. We stopped by Chinatown to pick up some dumplings, which we ate on the rooftop terrace on our hotel. 

We’re turning in early because our flight is very early tomorrow morning.