High Five for Friday (6.10.22)

 

One

Going back to virtual learning - Cyber Citizenship for Hallie and Driver's Education for Will - has not been fun. Cyber Citizenship in particular has been ROUGH. But as of today, Hallie is finished and Will has made great strides!

Working at our McOffice.

Two

Hallie had a topnotch immune system...until she got COVID at the end of January/beginning of February. Since then she's had two colds - just regular, run-of-the-mill colds for the rest of us - that have both lasted longer than any other colds she's ever had. The second cold even turned into a sinus infection and required a trip to urgent care, a trip to the pediatrician, and multiple prescriptions, but I *think* that as of this week (SEVEN weeks after the cold set in), we FINALLY have it/her under control again!

Three

Lots of dance, lots of soccer, and quite a bit of training to stay in tip top shape for they activities they love. (Don't worry - we've built in lots of rest, relaxation, and boredom too. 😉)  

Four

Tuesday was Tourette's Awareness Day (May 15 - June 15 is Tourette's Awareness Month). If you missed it last month or when I shared it Tuesday evening, here's a link to my girl's story. She is AMAZING.

Five

Our current fosters are OBSESSED with hair rubber bands, and two of them - Adagio and Bourree - have learned how to take them out of our hair. It's mildly uncomfortable, but also impressive and entertaining!

 

Happy weekend, friends!   

Monthly Medley: May 2022

Reading

I had to force myself to read in May. The month was SO busy and I was SO tired, to the point that when I did find myself with a moment of down time, all I had the energy for was mindlessly scrolling through social media. I didn't like the way that felt though, so I made the conscious decision to bring my book with me in the car and focus on the story rather than whatever nonsense was playing out on Facebook that day. It worked, and I finished a psychological thriller called The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine. I usually struggle with the first 25% of a book (I feel like I frequently spend the first 50-100 pages just waiting for the story to get interesting), but in this case, I struggled with the last 25% of the book. The story and the characters were interesting and well-developed, and there were multiple twists and turns that kept me engaged. But with 50 or so pages left, the story went off the rails - I understand where they were headed, but they just took it too far and the ridiculousness of it all was almost comical. I like these authors (Liv Constantine the pen name of two women who write together) a lot, and while this was a great story, they botched the ending.

Watching

Hallie and I tried a few new shows this month but nothing stuck. Until we found...Major Dad. Yes, Major Dad, from the late 80s - early 90s. I honestly thought she wouldn't want to watch it because the visual experience is so poor, but she loved the premise and likes the characters and so Major Dad it is. (When we're looking for comedy that is. When we're in the mood for a little something heavier, we turn on Gilmore Girls.)

I don't have any new movies or grown up television shows to share - there just isn't time in May to watch much except a few minutes of a sitcom here and there. I have lots of movies queued up to watch this summer though!

Listening To

I don't have any new podcasts to share this month either. I've been sitting and even walking in silence more this month, because I need a little more silence (and peace...and calm...) come May.  

Following

I've watched a couple of episodes of The Home Edit on Netflix, but I didn't feel like I'd seen enough of the show to share it in a Monthly Medley under "Watching" just yet. But I also found The Home Edit Instagram page (@thehomeedit), and I'm enjoying the pretty pictures and organizational tips enough to share in this category. 

Trying/Using

On a whim I bought this stainless steel oven/stove shelf, mostly because I wanted my little salt and pepper cups up off of the counter yet still within reach, and so far I love it. I also put a tiny vase on the shelf, and once I have a tiny flower in the tiny vase I'll take a picture. (Until then you'll just have to check out the Amazon photos.)

I'm also pretty psyched about my new tape measure. (It was a gift, so I can't tell you where it came from. I can tell you, however, that it's ok to be excited about pretty things, even if they're little, if they make you happy.)

Wearing

Target for the win! First, this tank top - it fits well, it washes well, and it's VERY affordable. I opted for a medium, as I would say it runs small, and brought it home in four different colors. Second, these pajama pants - they're incredibly soft, and THEY HAVE POCKETS. I'm not a huge fan of the other prints they have available right now, so I'm holding off until the next season to pick up my second pair.

Eating/Drinking

I have a new favorite summer brew - Shiner's Ruby Redbird. It's light and fresh, and it tastes like summertime.

I actually tried a couple of new recipes this month but none were worth sharing. Back to the drawing board recipe box ...

Feeling Good About

• Such a sweet video short about inclusivity. 
• Such an amazing teacher. (And a naturally gifted student, I suspect.)
• The Savannah Bananas are making baseball joyful again.
• This story out of Maripol:

That's a wrap on May!

High Five for Friday (6.3.22)

One 

We survived recital weekend! Between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening, Hallie danced in four recitals (ballet in two, contemporary and jazz in one, hip hop, tap, and jazz in one) and worked one recital...and it was A LOT. She danced beautifully though, and did a wonderful job leading her little students.

Hallie gave Bourree a kiss when she got
home from night one of recitals - can you tell?

Meanwhile, Will guest played with another soccer team for a tournament in Houston. We like to make sure that when one kid has a busy weekend, the other kid has an equally busy weekend so both parents have equally scattered, chaotic, and exhausting weekends. (I'm kidding, of course.)

Love this pic of Will Will's hair.

Two

My parents' have been trying for a "normal" visit since January, and we finally got one. (COVID sent my mom home early and had my dad cancelling his flight last minute back in early February, and a family illness/death sent my dad home early when they were here in April.) Lots of dance, lots of soccer, and very little sleep, and a few colds, but no actual catastrophes!

Gin & Rummy

Chess

On their way out, my parents took all of my garage sale stuff with them. They were on their way to my aunt's house to help with her garage sale, and they agreed to take with them and attempt to sell my "treasures". Bless their hearts, and hallelujah for clearing out the house and a few shelves in the garage!

Three

There really are no words to express how much I love these pictures of Hallie, taken by the always amazing Shannon Morton.

And of course, these three, who just wrapped up their 10th full year of friendship. They literally don't remember life without one another. 

After Kara left (it was her dad's birthday so she had to book it out of there, and she had already done her individual photo shoot), these two came out in their black leos, black skirts, and pointe shoes and we had to capture them together as well.

This one is the best. We call it, "Crazy Eyes" (zoom in), and it perfectly sums up their friendship. Pretty sure Shannon put it in our gallery as a joke and was surprised when we couldn't leave our ordering session without it. 

If you live in Bryan-College Station and need a photographer (infants, kids, seniors, families, corporate, and DANCERS), Shannon Morton is the absolute best.

Four 

We had one official day off after finals week and graduation/dress rehearsal/soccer tournament/Memorial Day weekend, and then we hit the ground running with Hallie's first summer dance session and summer school. (She's taking the one class offered between seventh and eighth grade - Cyber Citizenship - so she won't have to take it during the school year and will therefore have room for the electives she wants.) Will had a slightly more relaxing week, which he desperately needed and deserved, but kicks off a three-day soccer tournament tonight. Despite these activities on our calendar, the pace of life already feels slower and for that I'm grateful.

Academy for shoes, McDonald's for slushies, and a
trip through the car wash - it was the best afternoon.

Five

Happiness Highlights

These five and their teacher, Ms. Mariah, had a really special year
together. They went through a lot of emotional growth, along with lots
of tears and lots of laughter. Kind of hard to believe it's come to an end.

My parents, circa...many years ago.

Adagio helping unload the dishwasher.

Plie watching Grey's Anatomy from my back
while I alternate between planking and stretching.

Plie helping Tom get ready for his trip.

Riding shotgun with my boy.

Tom's trip took him to Seattle for a conference. His sister,
Jenna, met him there so they could hang out (and ahead of
the next leg of their trip). She was quite literally the coolest
person in the hotel full of engineers, to the point that they
were all talking about her presence. 😂

After the conference, Tom and Jenna drove to
Vancouver to see their brother, SIL, Forest, and River.

"yay" - it's summertime!

The obligatory "jumping into summer" pic.

Tracking a fly.

Still tracking.

They were SO cute, but they never caught the fly.
It's probably still caught in the blinds in the office.

Happy weekend, friends!