August 2013 Update

Back to school. Ugh!

My girl is now in 1st grade and doing well. She was super excited on the first day of school. Me, I cried. Not because she’s growing up but because I was mourning the loss of summer. It just feels so unfair to only have 8 weeks. We made the most of it and packed in as much summer fun as we could and it was awesome! The school schedule is a huge point of contention between me and Metro. I have sent quite a few emails to the board members as they prepare to vote on the 2014-15 schedule. Don’t even get me started on my thoughts regarding homework…

This is a big year for her. For starters, she moves to a new section of the school to a new classroom with a new teacher and new students. (note: In Montessori, children keep the same teacher for multiple years because the classrooms are multi-aged and it helps to build a sense of community.) The workload is a bit different starting in 1st grade as well. So far, she seems to be adapting. Though, by Thursdays she’s exhausted and done. Me too for that matter. Thursday’s are my nemesis. We are so close to the weekend yet we still have a whole day to go. But, overall, she has adjusted very well and I’ve been very proud of her!

Not far into the school year, I was called to a birth that lasted All. Weekend. Long. I was away for 66 hours. It’s a new record for me, not that it’s anything to brag about, but it seriously made me think hard about why I do what I do. Not sleeping for that long is hard. Being away from my family that long is really hard. Handling last-minute logistics for my family from my cell phone gets interesting. Unfortunately, it’s a passion that I just can’t turn off no matter how hard it is to work through a marathon labor & delivery. I am eternally grateful for the family and friends who understand that about me, support me fully, and come to the rescue of me and my family at a moment’s notice.

Mike and neighbor Wade snuck in a trip to North Carolina to do a little climbing. They had their highest climb yet at 400 feet. < — This is why I don’t ask about any of their rock climbing adventures until AFTER they are back home safe and sound. 😉

We were tickled to have the Drose family come back for a Nashville visit this month. We have missed them terribly so it was nice to spend the weekend with them just hanging out. We will be headed out to visit them in October during our fall break.

Hubby and I ~~celebrated~~ had our 8th wedding anniversary this month. Our gift choices were comical with hidden agendas. He got me a tortilla press. I got him a leaf blower. See, he likes homemade tortillas but it’s hard work to roll them out. Me, I like the sidewalks and patio swept off after the lawn is mowed but that step usually gets missed. Hence our gift choices for each other. Ain’t marriage grand?

Just for documentation purposes, I should mention that I instituted an allowance program for my girl this school year. It’s minimally tied to chores but the majority is tied to school work. She also has the opportunity to earn “performance bonuses” at report card time. Why? Because I don’t get paid to take care of my home. That is intrinsic motivation. But I do get paid to do my job properly. Her job is to go to school and work hard.

Even though school is back in session, we’ve still managed to keep up a slew of summer fun activities including summer dinner, ice cream outings, and trips to the lake. We spent a weekend out on the lake with Mike’s entire family and had a blast!

This weekend we are actually in Roan Mountain with friends of ours at their family bed & breakfast. We are having so much fun. My favorite part has been exploring the foliage for wild flowers and herbs. It’s a nice little break before things are about to get crazy insane at work. I leave for conference in 5 weeks. I’m going to try my best not to fall off the face of the earth during September but that’s just pretty much how it goes this time of year.