Week Thirteen/Spring Break

Spring break was a quiet affair here. I took naps, managed some appointments and even slipped in a post-shower driving date with Greg in my cozy pajamas. Kate was off with Hagan or Kameron most every day. And Ty was content with crap food in his room while playing online games with friends. I had lofty deep cleaning goals but lingering fatigue from a recent flare sabotaged plans. It's just the same, surface clean has sufficed for months now anyway. I'm sure I'm the only one who notices. My newest cleaning plan? "It's good enough". I'm excelling.

Wednesday I slipped away alone for another salt water float followed by lunch in a quiet sushi restaurant with a book. I cannot express how much I needed this week of rest. 

Kate had the audacity to step out front without direct supervision.

Thursday Kate, Amanda and I walked around the outlets so Amanda could score a deal on next year's boots. The sunshine and outing were appreciated even if I did require some bench warming sessions. I'm tired of being tired. 

 This is a treat we usually share when we visit the outlets. I've always considered it a little pricey but in sharing the decadent sundae and only having one or two a year, we just embraced it. But Thursday my total was just over fourteen dollars for this one ice cream. Holy smokes. It was good but I'm not sure it was THAT good. Lauren would laugh at me and call it a bargain considering what she now spends on food in Hawaii. It's all about perspective.

I managed to pull off a brutal closet purge where I honestly identified pieces I am not wearing and not only bagged them for donation, but also managed to actually deliver them on the same day! I don't know that I've ever not driven bags around for at least a week before making the drop off. It's the little wins I'm celebrating. 

Kate and I have been working on her upcoming Graduation party as a positive focus to help pull her through these final nine weeks. Her doubled work load has recently felt daunting and sister is over it. We've planned a pretty event rather than the traditional school colors for her day. Pulling baby photos for a banner and ordering announcements haven't yet left me nostalgic, thank goodness. I do hope she embraces prom and the final highlights of her junior/senior year. This season will end soon enough. Our girl is ready to soar.

Week Twelve/The Birthdays

While Greg and I worked this week, the kids ran a small pet sitting service. Ty had a neighbor's dog and a friend's cat. Kate had another neighbor's dog and we all had Erin's cat. Fortunately only one extra cat stayed with us. The rest remained in their own homes with the kids constantly running to care for them. Ty absolutely loves doing it. 

Makenna worked intersession for struggling kindergarteners this week but squeezed in one visit to the reading lab to see how we support reading skills in my building. She was excited to see we use Secret Stories and walked away with new tools of her own. 

Last weekend, as I recovered from a severe flare, Greg drove me to Dayton to surprise a friend on her 50th birthday. She is the first of three in our friend group this year to mark this milestone and I hope we get to mark each one together. I still required a lot of sleep but was mostly pain free and feeling human again. I am so glad we were able to be there. 

I slipped away Wednesday afternoon for a salt water float. It was a unique experience that helped remove a significant amount of inflammation from my body. The benefits were felt through the following day so I booked a second float next week. As I navigate next steps medically, it's lovely to incorporate something that is not only relaxing but also beneficial.

These two have been sharing birthday celebrations for twenty eight years. 

Erin and Greg were celebrated with a family dinner this evening. My parents drove over to join us for the usual laughter and shenanigans that ensue when our group gathers. 

Week Eleven

This old barn near my house brings me considerable joy. Every spring daffodils bloom in the shape of a cross and I look forward to it annually. A coworker who grew up in this town told me that cross was planted in the 60's and the descendants of that property owner freshen up old bulbs periodically. 

The weekend was rejuvenating. Kate bought her first car. Greg and I grabbed warm beverages and ran errands together. I hung out with Anna and Ava for a few hours, playing games and painting. Kate and I taught pre-k Sunday school together and laughed at the antics of four year olds. Then both Erin and Makenna visited for lunch. It was good. 

We laughed that Home Depot doesn't have cup holders in their carts. It's almost like they don't know they are a date destination.

Diesel can't decide who to snuggle with when the girls visit. He loves them all so much. I appreciate the break because generally speaking, I am his person.

Replacing a brake light bulb before running to the BMV. She loves this little car so I was shocked when she called me laughing the FIRST day she drove it to school because someone backed into it. There was no damage but she literally sat in her parking spot, waiting on the lot to disperse so nothing would happen to it and got bumped anyway. Isn't that just the way life goes sometimes?

The week was bumpy and wore me out. I ended with a horrible arthritis flare that also encompassed muscles from head to toe. The joints alone were bad enough but the muscle pain took it to a whole new level of awful. It was the first of it's kind in many years. I hope at least another decade passes before I endure another. I'm still pretty run down but feel the fog of the flare lifting. It's been a rough couple of days. 

While we experience yet another cold front with damp, windy air, Lauren is hiking and swimming. Pray for her. 

Week Ten

Mr. Rogers suggested in times of struggle, to look for the helpers. It's excellent advice. We had significant support with clean up efforts last weekend; we literally couldn't have taken care of some details without assistance. It restored my view of mankind and reminded me to remember where to take the temperature of the world. It's not as bad as some would have us believe. Ty and I made cookies Sunday to thank neighbors we hadn't met before they were helping us in the middle of a wind storm. 

Monday Ty had a vision exam while Kate worked and Greg was held up on a job site. So Ty and I slipped off for cauliflower crust pizza together. He mentioned a few times how much he enjoyed the time and wished we did it more. He willingly took a photo! Having individual time is his favorite and I'm the lucky one. PS. We will do more of this.

The spring air has ushered in numerous games of HORSE or PIG in the driveway. He loves trick shots from the neighbor's yard. Sigh. 

We navigated a big decision as a family the last few weeks. One teacher and our son's enthusiasm about a substitute teacher who explained material being read in class were the deciding factors. Ty has always struggled with anxiety in school. Starting in kindergarten, our quiet guy would walk in the door from school and roll on the floor crying for twenty minutes to unload the day's stress. As he aged, he found less dramatic ways to respond but always held it together at school. Last year, he started breaking out in hives each weekday morning and often vomited as well. This year we started medication to assist him. He has support he is supposed to be receiving at school and several teachers have been more than resistant to honor that legally binding agreement. Ty is not a problem child, a disruptive student or even one that wants acknowledged in any way at school but somehow became the target of a few teachers. We tried conferences, phone calls, emails and discussions with the principal who was supportive. But in the end, enough was enough. Ty came home for school this week. We are attempting a homeschool schedule around my job for these last nine weeks to see how it goes. Ty wants this little endeavor to succeed and has promised to hold up his end of the bargain. I've committed to a nine week period of homeschool to buy us time and the opportunity to explore options. So far, he has set some reasonable goals and one I'm not so sure I can support. He has a fascination with the weather and wants to better understand how severe weather forms. However, he'd also like to try storm chasing. 😳 Pray for me.

On his final school day, he placed third in the derby pine car race in his science and technology class. He was pretty pleased with his car.

I spent a fair amount of time exploring how my heart and body entwine. When I lost my babies years ago, my body would cling in desperation to those babies despite all evidence of their passing; one ending in a dramatic ambulance ride and need for blood. My heart would not accept the reality of the loss and therefore my body provided a stubborn womb to shelter from the obvious. Of course, by contrast, this same womb held Makenna safely inside days beyond what should have been possible while Greg had surgery and my heart desired to be at his bedside before her arrival. Walking around dilated for four days at 7cm is not normal. My heart and body have always been connected.

Mid afternoon texts from my son now look like this. It's so much better than the pleas for escape from school I used to receive.

And so I am processing what I am holding these days......so much compassion for kids at work, children with cancer within our circle, decisions that will impact our home and future, a daughter homesick on a island I can't reach and the futures our daughters as a whole are navigating. Whereas I am so much better about holding onto only the things that are mine to carry, I still haven't fully released the list and it looks like weekly migraines right now. Either that or it's a brain tumor and perhaps maybe that it also on the list.......

I wondered if I could leave the guest room door open again. Diesel was here. Why is he like this?

This week's school highlight is brought to you by a precocious six year old. As I was attempting to write a sentence on the white board with kindergarten, gymnastics was taking place on the rug so I pulled out my rarely used firm voice. I explained I was frustrated with this particular group and sent them back to class. What they didn't know, was it was the end of their time with me anyway but fear of facing their teachers with the early release due to behavior had one ornery little girl stopping the teacher I support in the hallway, "you may want to check on Mrs. Baughman. She seems frustrated today." When questioned if she had any idea why, the little stinker and her partners in crime shrugged. Thank God it's Friday, y'all.

Week Nine

Sunday night's sunset was incredible.

Ty's science and technology class had him creating a pinewood derby car. He brought it home last weekend for some custom touches. He wanted it to resemble a Bugatti Chiron. The boy says this is his dream car, although he says he is okay "to start with a cheap car like a Camero when (he) turns sixteen." He's new here. 

Monday my coworker gifted me with a chai tea to kick start what will be several long weeks of testing and Read Across America. Then we parted ways for the foreseeable future, as we have separate roles for most of the this month and next. Spring is weird in public schools.

Sunset from the bible study porch was stunning.

Tuesday at Bible study I held a three pound puppy and was completely distracted. He obeyed commands and I couldn't help but think it wouldn't matter much if he didn't. How much trouble could he possibly cause compared the the beast in my house?  

Both Diesel and I enjoy the glimpses of spring and warmer temperatures. He has resumed his post as neighborhood guard dog when he isn't escaping to find friends. My phone rang twice recently, "is this Diesel's mom?" Sigh. 

Wednesday I took a planned day off to meet Kristil, who was in Indy for a few days from Cleveland. Kate and Ty lamented my day off, as they both assumed they deserved it more. Ty, the less eloquent of the two actually quipped that all I do is sit around talking to kids all day. I obviously didn't need a day to recover from that. 🤨 He's sweet. But the day was absolutely gorgeous and the company so very welcomed. 

After dinner, Greg and Ty played HORSE while Kate cheered, or called her brother a HOR until the elusive S was scored. The neighbors hate us. I held down the porch swing and drank in the fresh air and laughter. It was such a restorative day. 

When we play basketball, Diesel gets an old football to keep him from stealing the ball. He has his own basketball too but prefers the football. 

Thursday we learned we all scored a day off on Friday due to severe weather forecasts. I debated the merits of deep cleaning my house for a bit before ultimately deciding that wasting this time cleaning would be dumb if we got a tornado. Surface clean will suffice once again. 

Daddy's home!

The cancellation of school on Friday was disappointing though. We had quite a bit planned for Read Across America and guests who may or may not be able to reschedule. However, a day to collect our bearings at home is never a bad idea either. It is what it is. As it turns out, we are processing a significant decision surrounding Ty's education and needed some time to gather information. The day off was a gift after all. 

My AC unit was here.....and the next round of wind stripped some of this siding. What a mess.

By the late afternoon, I was grateful for neighbors who jumped in to help me get our trampoline off the neighbor's fence. We opted to leave someone else's trampoline wedged between our house and fence so it wouldn't do any further damage. It had already knocked over our AC unit. This weather was no joke. 

Erin is wearing her trusty headlamp and at one point, flipped it on while declaring she had an idea. She cracks me up.

We were without power so we made dinner charcuterie to sustain us. A card game of Like U by candlelight kept us laughing and talking for hours. The mess will still be here tomorrow; however, the evening was pretty decent despite the challenges of the day.