Last Day!

I am either really in denial or really well adjusted because the Last Day of School to me is not in any way sad to me this year. 

I am also not like "woo! School's out." It just kind of is. And it just kinda feels right. Because seasons. And time for a break and all that. If that makes sense. 

Here's my annual First Day/Last Day Comparison 

I actually feel bad I didn't look at these pictures in the rush of this morning because I did M dirty with the sun. 

And here we are, as I send them off to cross the street one last time this school year. 

I hope they have a great day! (And I will see them at Mass in like, 15 minutes so I am not really missing them.) 

How We Celebrated

We are in the last days of school, so everything is pretty whirlwindy. 

On Saturday, we "pretend camped." If you've been here a while, you know that I do not camp. I don't understand it. And you'll never convince me of it, but I hope you enjoy yourself. 

But we had a pile of sticks in our yard that someone had promised to haul away ages ago and I said "Let's just sit outside all day and burn it." So we did. And we made the kids play outside the whole day too. 

So from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm the kids played outside while Husband and I had a fire. We even roasted hot dogs and made s'mores so it was like pretend camping. 

Even after all that, we didn't make it through the whole pile, but now what we do have left is chopped nicely and in a proper wood pile. The only reason we stopped is because I had a show to go see that night. 

And for the record, about 2:00 the kids started complaining about why they had to stay outside which was my reassurance that we are not a camping people. Though everyone enjoyed a nice shower after being outside, and that kind of clean feels amazing! 

On Sunday we went to see Lilo and Stitch. 

Now, I went in reading no reviews. And I LOVED it. Like I cried through the whole movie, was incredibly moved, LOVED it. 

But I also find the animated movie Stitch kind of annoying. 

My friend who loves the animated movie hated it. 

I thought it was the first live-action adaptation that really humanized the story. I don't think it was about how indigenous people should give their children to the government. To be clear, I don't think anyone at all can honestly say that Lilo and Nani were in fact living their best lives throughout the movie. 

And the trauma of losing their parents is something that really affected them. And the movie let you feel those emotions. Stitch was kind of an afterthought in the movie to me. And that really worked for me. 

Monday was C's big day, and it was mostly chill. We brought a meal to his friend who had spinal fusion surgery. She looks so much taller now!! I think it was good for both of their souls to see each other. It made me so happy. 

We had the same meal we delivered. Alfredo bake. (And my sweet guy, that is Ellie's favorite meal not his!) Caesar salad, fruit salad, garlic knots. We also brought them bundtlets to match his cake. He had picked the Oreo cookies and cream cake. We opened presents. 

It was a good day. 

And now we're in the whirlwind of field days and fun days and I had to wash gym clothes last night because they're in gym uniform all week. But it's all good! Home stretch! 

Happy Birthday C!

Oh Sweet C, 

I cannot believe you are a teenager. Admittedly, you don't look like one. Barely tipping the scales at 80 pounds and rocking that 12th percentile in height, most of your classmates are both younger than you and look like they can eat you. 

This year was a big one. Transitioning to middle school went both better and worse than I would have expected. It definitely helps you got to stay in the same building you've been in. Your natural talent for school has helped you coast on through this year with minimal effort, but next year, we will work on incorporating actual study skills into your repertoire. 

I am so very proud of you for trying a new to you activity. Choir has been such a good way for you to have an activity that has been low stress for all of us. I am glad you enjoy singing, and I am excited for you to add voice lessons this next year as well. It was weird that you only did one musical this year, but you were truly wonderful on stage. I hope you never lose that drive to be the best. 

Another surprise this year was the student council! I readily admit I didn't think you were going to make it but hey... look at you go! I am proud that you'll have another thing to add to your list of accomplishments. 

Admittedly, we are also going to work on not getting stressed out when you have activities. Sometimes, things happen back to back. I know that is difficult for your little introverted self to fathom, but they do. And you can handle it, I promise. 

Here's the thing: you still love all the same things. Disney. Lego. Mo Willems. Penguins. Walruses. Theatre. You just like what you like. And I love you for it!! You finally got back into reading fiction this year which is delightful!! 

As you remind me you are now old enough to take those cruises to the Antarctic. And the Galapagos. You have a lot of dream trips planned, and I am here for it!! I have no doubt you'll make them happen!

The last picture of you as 12. 

And the first one I took of you as 13. 

Happy Birthday C! You're loved and adored by your mom! 

Playin' Hooky

So. My kids aren't in band. In fairness, M can't be yet, but she won't be. 

I have a lot of reasons. Including but not limited to: 

1. I don't like band.
2. I don't like the band teacher. (Might be petty, but if I don't trust an educator, why would I opt into her teaching my kids?)
3. Band is expensive. A per-semester fee. Books and music. Instrument rental/purchase. Private lessons.

"But everyone is in band!" And actually at our school that's true. 5 kids total in 5th grade are not in band. But why is "everyone else is doing it" a bad thing 99.9% of the time but is an okay excuse when it comes to band? 

To be clear: art is very important to our family. Husband and I both have art degrees and are proud of that. Most of our extracurricular activities are art-based. I genuinely believe my kids have seen more theater productions, concerts, and other performances than their peers. 

This is not about not supporting the arts. It's the culture of band at our school. Practicing is optional and doesn't weigh into your grade. Most kids don't even bring their instruments home on a daily basis, if at all. And everyone goes on and on about how good they are. 

They aren't. The concerts are painful. 

There are some very talented kids. But most are okay at best. 

Now, C never wanted to be in band. But M would. Except I have a lot of experience with trying to get her to practice piano. And she never really practiced her 4th grade recorder. And therefore, it's a big ole no from us. 

Anyway... one of the reasons all the kids want to be in band is that at the end of the year the band kids take a trip to an amusement park. Today was that day. 

The 5th grade teachers took the non-band kids to a movie last year and they had a fun day. 

This year the plan was for the kids to help pack up the classroom for summer. 

So I told C we could play hooky. 

So we did. 

We started with a fresh summer haircut for him. Then went to Walgreens for a read and feed treat next week. Then to Michael's. C thought this squirter looks like M's Owala. It totally does. 

Then we went to Books a Million and out to lunch. 

We spent a few hours at home chilling before we went to pick up M from school. I took them both out for ice cream. 

Then we went to solve the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion before the exhibit closes next week. 

Turns out we really liked playing hooky! And now it's a long weekend! 

Wednesday Wrap Up

So let's see, last week I talked about the field trip. Then the weekend happened. M had her last soccer game. I was fine with that. It was windy and cool. 

So in the rec league 4th and 5th grade play together. Our school has so many kids that we have a 4th-grade team and a 5th-grade team. We played the 5th graders, and it was wildly bad. 

I need you to know that I am perfectly fine being on the losing team here. We are in general a very short class. They skew tall. So there was a huge disparity in length of legs. 

But the 5th-grade coach is... intense. He has 2 practices a week and has them run at least a mile every practice. In terms of soccer, that's probably great. In terms of a 6-week rec league where literally everyone gets a medal and the officials don't keep track of the score? It's slightly overkill. I am happy to be on the losing team that's chill and fun. 

Anyway, delighted to kick soccer practices and games off our calendar! 

Then we had to go buy a lawn mower as ours had slowly deteriorated and this year the blade hit something and bent irreparably. This was annoying. But so was mower shopping. We started at Home Depot, but every one we looked at had similar reviews about how bad they were or the bolts fell off on the first mow. And I was unimpressed. 

We ended up at our Mom and Pop hardware store, and my suburban upbringing was showing. 

It took Mom and Pop a million years to help us. Then they had to see if they had one. And they only had this floor one. So then we had to wait 30 minutes for the place to prep it. I am just a big box store kinda gal it seems. 

Now the good news is they are also the place in town where you get your mower repaired, so they oiled it and gassed it up and started it to make sure it worked before they sent it home. But still. Anyway, we got a mower and we Husband mowed. 

It turns out our exact mower is also one of the best mowers on a budget list, and my mom was happy about that. I'm mostly happy that the lawn looks tidy again. 

Saturday night Husband took the kids to the art museum glow up. 

I stayed home in silence. I didn't turn on the TV. I didn't listen to music. I didn't even read my book for most of it. Just basked in the silence. It was glorious. 

Sunday, M went to a birthday party. I really enjoyed the card she made for her friend! 

And she had a really nice time at the party to boot! 

Monday was our last Mom's Morning rosary of the year, and also my favorite Twinsie's last rosary ever since they will go to kindergarten in the fall when we start back up. They've been coming since they were tiny babies in COVID 2020. Here they are September 2020 to May 2025. 

WHY DID THEY GROW SO FAST?! And yes, I 100% staged these pictures precisely for the side by side of it all. 

Monday night we also made Brownies and M was HILARIOUS. She wanted to play outside while they cooled but didn't want to miss out. 

Why not write a note and stick it on a toothpick IN the brownies? She did get to eat one, do not worry! 

Yesterday was kind of crazy. One of C's best friend's Ellie, had spinal fusion surgery. The whole 6th grade and the whole 3rd grade (her brother's class) prayed a rosary together. C led a decade. And I honestly cried through most of it. They've been peas in a pod since 4-year-old preschool, and I just love her so much. 

She is doing well now but has a LONG road to recovery over the next few months, so if you are a praying person and wouldn't mind saying a prayer for her, I would appreciate it! 

Then later, we were in school Mass, and there was a tornado warning. So we had to stop Mass and get all the kids into the basement areas. 

Me and another staff member went downstairs and immediately started moving furniture and toys out of the way to make room. It was still pretty crowded. We had 6th, 1st and 4th grade. And a few parents who were at Mass too. 

After attendance was taken to make sure everyone was safe and accounted for... I ended up reading 3 books to the whole room. We prayed a decade of the rosary for Ellie. The music teacher had everyone sing a song. And she also played a game.

And then we all went home. Fr. found some people to stay so he could finish the Mass. (We had just gotten to the liturgy of the Eucharist.) It really was wild to try and stop Mass.

It was so rainy and gross yesterday, but I love watching the rain. So does Briggs, the piano teacher's cat. So we just sat together and watched the rain. 

Then we spent 4 hours making a stupid chain reaction video for 4th grade. 

Let it be known that I have nothing against chain reactions and I would defend M's teacher til my dying breath. But this year's chain reaction REQUIRED the use of a chintzy piece of paper to fall forward when something falls into the cup. We also had to use a terrible paper ramp. And it was the dumb required pieces that didn't work. 

It took FOREVER because even if the chain reaction worked completely perfectly, the paper wouldn't fall over because it's a crappy piece of copy paper that had been folded a million times. It either wouldn't stay up or it wouldn't fall down, and there was no in between. (In the picture, it's the piece that's flopped over just over the cup.) 

Oh, and we had to capture it on video. 

So the bell swung and knocked the dominoes, which knocked the marble into the marble run, and it fell down on the paper ramp, which knocked the car into the cup, which knocked the paper down. 

I was not sad when that particular journey was over. 

And now it is Wednesday. It's cold and dreary. But that's okay!! I still like that better than HOT! 

A Field Trip.

This week has been long. It's also been unseasonably hot. We jumped right from coats and jeans to full-on 90+ degree heat and I am not excited about it. It's supposed to cool off this weekend and I really hope it does because I am trying to not turn my AC on but I am about to cave. 

Yesterday I accompanied the 4th and 5th grade to Des Moines to the Science Center and the Capitol. 

It was a really good day. A long one though. M and I were tired. We again had to be at school at 6:00 am and the buses didn't roll in until about 6:10 pm back at school. 

But you know what? These kids are so lucky to get to go on cool adventures like this. I am so glad I was able to go with. 

I am also so glad it is Friday, and our weekend looks to be a fairly good one. 

A Mother's Day Weekend.

Oh what a busy and full weekend we had. 

Friday night I went to trivia with friends. This was the only picture I took. That's okay. 

We were solidly in the middle of the pack. The categories were horrible. Now, this was a marching band fundraiser so the categories with the ** by it, I will give to them as they're on theme. 

• Money
• Periodic Table
• Automobiles
• Technology
• Celebrities' Instruments**
• Netflix
• Will Farrell Quotes
• Professional Athletes
• Famous Marching Bands**
• Davenport Central High School History -- I understand that's the high school but the questions were so niche. "What year did the current pool open?" "How many head band directors have they had since the school opened in 1904?" Who knew those answers? Alumni and parents alike were scratching their heads. 

So because the categories were so rough it made it a lot less fun but I liked my table. 

Saturday was BUSY BUSY. 

We started out at the Putnam Palooza! Husband was busy busy busy! 

C got to try this cool new "touch an artifact" thing. 

The kids learned how to tie their own balloon animals.

The foam pit was a big hit! 

Then we went to soccer. 

It was a hot and tiring game. We had to borrow two players and we had no one on the bench at all so everyone played the whole time. But they won! 

After a quick jaunt at home to get shower off and eat some macaroni and cheese, three of us went to Mass. And then back to the Palooza where M stayed with her dad. 

While C and I went to see Chicago together. 

Everyone had a really great time. 

Yesterday, Husband woke up and went to Mass the brought home my traditional Mother's Day breakfast pizza. 

Then we loaded up and drove a ways to see Riverdance! 

And to be very clear we had permission to take pics/videos during the encore. So I did. 

I would definitely not have taken this picture if I wasn't supposed to I promise! 

After we went to Trader Joe's since when we get that direction we like to stock up on some things. And we also had a little linner at a BBQ place. M was a little loopy waiting for food which was funny! 

Then I had to write my review of Chicago and get that sent off. All in all it was a great weekend with my people and while it was zero percent restful, sometimes the busy fun filled adventures are just as good for the soul. 

It's Back. A Pope. Friday.

Let's just bring you all into the sage you're not invested in. 

The van came back. It came back. And I am going to cry. Though it isn't currently in my spot, which is something. 

We have a Pope! 

Let me tell you a story. See in my office and in my life, I am known as the person who knows things. Every personality test or strengths finder or any of those tests agree: I like to learn things and then I remember them so can spout off details to people. If I don't know an answer,  I will look it up. 

I am sure it's annoying to some people. I am also 100% certain that some people in my life use me as a resource. So it balances out. 

Anyway, all day Wednesday I was on chimney watch. 

I set my alarm yesterday for 3:30 to check. I checked again at like 5:00 to see the black smoke. 

And then I went to work and it was our work retreat day. To the Deacon's cabin in the middle of nowhere. I was terribly annoyed, not thrilled that I wouldn't be able to live stream the chimney all day but I had a plan. My lovely and retired father would watch and text me immediately with updates. 

And as I was snuggling the sweetest baby. (My co-worker came from maternity leave with her beautiful 3 1/2 week baby) and supposed to be meditating on what my soul wanted to say to God... I got a text that said White Smoke! 

Well I quickly broke the meditative silence, called out to people, and everyone came running back from outside or downstairs or wherever they were. 

We gathered. We rejoice. I cried. I told that sweet baby that we had a Pope. (To be born on Holy Monday and already be on your second Pope...) We prayed a decade of the rosary together for whoever He may be. We moved up our lunch so we wouldn't waste retreat time. 

We saw Pope Leo XIV and I started learning some details before the Wikipedia page was updated. 

And it was a really special moment. 

A principal, a priest, and two deacons sat on a couch... there's a joke there somewhere. 

My mom is tickled that she guessed Leo as the Pope name. I knew with CERTAINTY that it would happen while we were on this retreat. 

Several people in the above picture told me that I didn't need to worry because it wasn't going to be until Friday. But I knew it. I just knew it. And not that I would ever taunt them with the fact that I was right... but I was and we all know it. 

I am genuinely so glad we have a Pope. I think Pope Leo has very kind eyes and I think it's awesome he's from Chicago. Though I love that he didn't speak in English. I am willing to bet somewhere in the Archdiocese of Chicago they're suddenly finding the funds to revamp the vacant church where our Pope grew up at. (Building still exists but it not an active parish.) 

This made me laugh out loud today. 

And this picture makes me so completely happy. 

This morning was also May crowning. Always a treat! 

Happy Friday!