Good Riddance 2020!

 Well!  Looks like I didn't write at all in 2019, and am getting it in just under the wire for 2020.  What a year it has been.  A global pandemic shut everything down in March of this year, and there still is no 'normal' in sight.  School went all virtual for the rest of spring, and I just spent fall semester teaching virtually and in person at the same time - not fun under any circumstances but being a music performance based class it has been especially challenging.  I'd like to say that I think things went as well as could be expected - beginners learned how to play, and intermediate kids (who showed up) learned new skills, but there's also nothing like a real live musical experience.

Sara is in 4th grade now, she started the year digitally but went back to in-person instruction in October, it's been better for her both academically and emotional/socially.  She is such a cool kid - has more confidence at 9 than I did at 19.  Earlier this year she dyed the tips of her hair teal, and most recently she had me shave a third of her head!  

She is big into theater - we found a new company in Lilburn that we like a lot - she's done both virtual and in-person shows there and is currently enjoying being a part of their Odyssey of the Mind team, with her creative problem solving skills.  Her new love is horseback riding, she tried it at Camp Calvin this summer and loved it, so we've found a stable in Snellville that provides lessons that include grooming & tacking.

David is a teenager now, and almost as tall as me! (he claims he already is as he stands on tip-toe and tries to push my shoulders down)-I told him next year, and for the rest of his life he will be, so let me enjoy it this year!  He was a digital student all semester but will return to school with me in January as we're not sure when Corey's office will open up again.

He tried out orchestra last year, playing bass, but it was not a good fit (for either of us!) so he's remained in chorus and has thrived there - would have auditioned for All State had it not already been cancelled for 2021 😢.  He's thriving academically, and is on the robotics team for the 3rd year in a row.  He's into video games, and has used them to keep in touch with friends

Corey and I just celebrated 17 years of marriage, and made it through quarantine without killing each other, so we've got that going for us.  I did a bunch of DIY projects around the house, including the table and chairs pictured behind David, and painting the kitchen cabinets with the help of my uncle and Jill.  The kitchen is such a happier place to cook and eat now, those were hours well invested.  We had the rest of the house painted professionally, and even little things like hanging curtains have helped us enjoy the place more - wondering why some of it took us 10 years to do!

Goals for 2021

• Less Reddit, more reading
• Eat less, exercise more (have found a majority of the weight I  lost in 2018)
• Sew more for family and friends
• Finish reading through the Bible (I started strong in 2019 and somehow drifted off as we came to spend all our time at home!)
• Use time wisely at work and try not to bring it home - physically or mentally!

Year in Review

So...let me double the 2017 posts by adding a second post for 2018 - hours before the year runs out!  Although the world at large has a lot of troubling stuff going on, it was a pretty good year in our little Grayson/Duncan bubble.  Here were some of the best parts:

Disney Cruise!
Nancy decided to take all of us on a cruise for Thanksgiving break, and figured while the kids are still kids, it might as well be a Disney one.  I have to say, Disney does it right, and this might have been even more enjoyable than the trip to DisneyWorld!  Lots of character meet and greets for the girl who still collects autographs, David and I got to snorkel in a Caribbean cay, multiple pools and waterslides right on the boat; it was pretty amazing.  Highlights of this highlight included watching a sea turtle eat lunch while snorkeling, taking Sara to the Bippity Boppity Boutique where she was princessed up by a fairy godmother-in-training, and delicious dinners every night. 

They were both so excited to meet Pluto!

Snorkeling Duncans

Meeting her favorite princess!

Silent Dance party

Looking like a princess!

Dudes eating dessert

Princess and me night number one

Other highlights of the year/resolutions met included:

Duncan family trip to Hilton Head - Nancy rented out a big 5 bedroom beach house for the growing Duncan family, Lindsay and Kevin had a little boy in January, and we had a wonderful time eating seafood, enjoying a private pool in the backyard and the beach about a 5 minute walk away.  David and I rode a tandem bike a couple times, which seemed to move him past his fear of riding and he learned to ride his own when we got home!

Hurford Christmas at our house - Corey was on call so we couldn't go far this year, and Nancy had taken Lindsay, Kevin, and baby up to Montana to be with Tracey and Glen, so it was just my side of the family! (this seemed fair since we weren't' there at all for Thanksgiving!).  We hosted Mom & Dad, Dick, Joanne, Neal, and Kyle, Ashley, and their sweet boys.  Lots of good food, prolonged amounts of gift opening, good times had by all.

Ending the year 50 pounds lighter - woo hoo!  I continued to loose weight as school started and have maintained the past couple of months - still working out at the Wellness Studio, and trying not to go crazy with the eating.  Need to start back to calorie counting in the new year as I would still love to loose about 10 pounds, but it's been great shopping in my own cedar closet, as well as purchasing sizes that haven't fit in 6 to 12 years.  

Sewing more & starting a small business - I am pretty sure I have sewed more this year than any other; Corey got me a new machine for my birthday, and while I haven't made a ton of dresses for Sara (she has SO many already!), I have been trying to sew more practical things.  After hearing "why aren't you selling these?" enough times at baby showers, I have started selling the 'baprons' and large hooded towels on Facebook and participated in one holiday craft fair - it was a small event but I made over $130, and would definitely do it again in the coming year.  I also FINALLY finished the memory quilt for David that has been on the resolutions list for years and was able to give it to him for Christmas!  

My table at the craft fair

Happy boy with his finally finished quilt!

Happy Birthday to me

So I turned 38 today, and spent the day taking Sara to the American Girl store (she had been begging all summer!), and dinner with my family.  Tomorrow I am treating myself to a massage and then taking the kids and a couple friends to Fort Yargo to play.  Summer is rapidly drawing to a close, and it was a really nice one.  I think we hit a good mix of camp/busy/planned out activities and down time.  We were in Hilton Head with the Duncans when Camp Invention took place this year, so our small group at church invented our own - each family had at least one teacher/science teacher in the family, so we each took an afternoon with all 8 kids doing different activities - and the kids seemed to love it!

We just returned from our end-of-summer just me and the kids trip, this time to Chattanooga.  It wasn't new to us like Huntsville or Birmingham, but we tried to go see new things - the Incline Railway, Coolidge Park, Pointe Park, and Racoon Caverns - as well as visiting favorite museums like the awesome Creative Discovery Museum up there and Tellus on the way back.

Gem mining at Tellus

Not too old to enjoy this museum yet!

View of Tennessee Valley from Pointe Park - it was beautiful!

Looking back at goals set at the end of 2017, I'm happy to say I have accomplished some of them!

I have been counting calories since March, and have lost 36 pounds, putting me in a place where I am much happier with myself and fit into a smaller size of clothes.  I've also had stem cell treatment on my knee, followed by physical therapy, which has helped get back some range of motion/decrease some pain (still hoping for continued improvement there).  

Next door to PT is an exercise studio that I've been going to all summer that offers a variety of classes, and modifications for people like me who don't bend all the way :).  I hope to be able to keep attending when school starts.  I also think it would be cool to ride my bike all the way around Stone Mountain.

I've sewed a reasonable amount - made a couple new dresses for Sara and the pocket smock I had been planning for a while.  Knocked out a pair of PJ pants for David yesterday, and a knit dress for Sara this morning (and 5 minute dress for her doll before we left for the bistro!).  I'd like to do more sewing for myself this year-  I think it'd be fun to make my own skirt or dress.  Still need to complete the memory blanket for David before it gets cold!

Lastly (ironically) I need to spend less time with my face in a screen and more time with my family - the kids are growing up WAY too fast, going into 2nd and 5th grades this year, and I just need to put down the Facebook and give them my time and attention.  That being said, goodnight!

So it's been a while...

I remember one of my cousins used to keep a blog - and I loved checking it for new pictures of her kids and more in-depth stories than Facebook could hold - and then she got busy, and the blog fell by the wayside- and I was bummed when it wasn't updated anymore.  Well...to anyone who actually reads this, looks like after a whopping 4-5 posts per year, I haven't posted at all in 2017!  Here are some highlights & resolutions as we head into 2018:

Highlights

Took the kids to Disney World for the first time!  This was so fun, if stressful to plan.  Disney has changed a LOT from when I was a kid, and even from a decade ago when I used to bring high schoolers and they had the paper fastpasses, now it's all computerized, there's pressure to book things like popular rides and dining months in advance...took some of the joy out of planning...as did David finding out because I neglected to log out of the Disney planning website and telling his sister - I'd had dreams of surprising them.  BUT - all that said, it was a wonderful week, Corey came down for the beginning (Epcot & Magic Kingdom) and Nancy was there the whole time.  Her friend Karen also joined us for the first few days - and let us stay in her upgraded hotel room the last few days!

Thunder Mtn RR - Corey was busy getting sick :(

Short trips to Gatlinburg & Birmingham

Nancy bought a house to rent out in Gatlinburg TN, so of course we had to go up right at the beginning of the summer to check it out!  I had not been up there in a long time and enjoyed seeing it through the kids eyes - we had a nice combo of time in the cabin and looking at some of the touristy stuff. 
We also took a 'spur-of-the-moment' trip to Alabama - it was what I decided I wanted to do with the kids for my birthday. We drove over and spent all afternoon in an awesome 4 story science center.  After a night at a hotel (always a highlight) we watched a play at the children's theater and checked out the art museum before heading home.

Great school years so far

I'm having another wonderful year at my school - not that last school year was bad, it was just not wonderful in comparison to the mountaintop year that was 2015-16 - TOTY, big numbers, etc.  Last year I had small 6th grade numbers (but based upon behavior of that grade level as a whole I have come to realize that was not a bad thing!) and just felt a little bit in a rut - or at least, didn't feel like I provided many new opportunities to the kids.  This year I have another big 6th grade class (although a lot of them are doublers in band & chorus), and am trying to get the kids out in the community more.  Currently trying not to stress about taking 100 kids to the symphony and Varsity in January. 

David and Sara are both having good years too - Sara is in LOVE with her teacher, Mrs. Poole - who is a technology guru and you can just tell genuinely loves those kids and hates how much standardized testing she has to put them through.  David is still thriving in the gifted program, joined the chorus this year, and is starting math club when we go back.  He's also trying out wrestling as a sport, but may be like his parents in that he is not all that athletically inclined.

Resolutions:

Finish Crafting projects:
a) Christmas table runner for a church friend
b) memory quilt for David
c) new pocket smock for Sara

Health
a) loose weight - always on there, but am at an especially unhappy weight after not exercising & eating whatever I want all semester
b) take care of my knee(s) - early onset arthritis diagnosed, the first few treatments (physical therapy, cortisone injections, viscosupplementation injections) have not really provided relief.  Loosing weight will help, but I also need to follow up/advocate for myself. 
c) take care of my teeth - I have bad teeth/soft gums, so I need to be more religious about flossing/rinsing/etc, and get the rest of the cavities filled.

Read more/be on screens less
I know I have my face in my phone too much, and it's also bugging me how much the kids ask for screen time, so I'm hoping to resolve for all 3 of us to read a bigger variety of books and be on screens less in the coming year. 

Happy New Year!

A different type of summer

So I spent the last week of summer in a grumpy mood, because the summer of 2016 was not like some of the recent past ones, and I had trouble reconciling it in my head, and realizing that this is probably where we are headed in the phase of 2 elementary schoolers.  Don't get me wrong, it was a great summer, just different.  And felt like it went by more quickly, because things were chunked by weeks, instead of days.

David showing off an invention

June was filled with professional development for me, then a week of Camp Invention for David and VBS at her preschool church for Sara.  Then we were off to Amelia Island with the Duncan clan, and after that right back to VBS at our church.  There were 2 weeks of down time after that, but I guess I didn't process that they were the only unplanned weeks left of summer.

Feeding the turtles at Amelia Island Plantation

July brought another year of me teaching at Encore camp, then we were off to Daytona Beach, for a wonderful bonus week in Florida, thanks to the administrator that put together my TOTY gift basket last fall.  After that the kids had a week of MAD camp at a nearby church - and then we're back to pre-planning!

My angel and chicken from "What do you do on a rainy day in the Ark?"

It was just different in that we didn't do as many day trips, which I have enjoyed in previous years, or really have the chance to do any spur-of-the-moment out of town trips like Huntsville last year, which was one of my highlights of the year.  We went to the newly renovated Children's Museum downtown, and had a Suwanee playdate with friends, but Fernbank didn't have anything new, and INK doesn't really change, so  I don't really feel like we missed out on a lot, just that my kids's interests are changing, and they really enjoyed their weeks of camp.

Guess it's time to get used to a new normal; Sara started Kindergarten this week, and loves it so far!  David is excited about his teachers for 3rd grade, if not starting over socially, he told me today he misses his old school :(.  I'm excited for year 3 at BCMS, it's especially fun to have 8th graders that I will have taught all 3 years!

Top 10

So I want to preserve today for posterity, as it was definitely one of my top 10 days of all time.  Sara has been obsessed with the Wicked soundtrack for about a month - asks for it all the time in the car.  Looked it up, and the show was touring in Birmingham, AL, about 3 hours away. I'd checked tickets several times in the last couple weeks, even asked David earlier in the week and he was like "No, that's too far to drive!" - we agreed we would wait until it came back to Atlanta, plus they are apparently making a movie of it to be released in 2019.  Well, last night Sara and I were watching clips of it online, and I asked her "Want to drive 3 hours tomorrow and go see it in person?"  Of course I was met with an enthusiastic "YES!"We purchased tickets last night, and woke up this morning, and off we went!  

It was not a bad drive, especially with the soundtrack and lots of Disney tunes to keep us occupied.  Arrived in plenty of time (freaked out about the time zone change and left early!), so we got to check out the whole venue, buy t-shirts, the whole 9 yards.  They had cute little stations where you could take "Elphies" and an usher outside even gave her Emerald City green tinted sunglasses, just because she was so excited to see the show.  We sat in the balcony, which was actually great for Sara to be able to see without having to sit in my lap the whole time.  I was a little worried that it might be too scary - I'd never actually seen the musical myself - it was my first time too!


I need not have worried, my sweet daughter was fascinated by the whole thing.  She either sat with her chin in her hands watching intently, or hugging one of my arms.  Every time I looked over at her she had this huge grin on her face.  She did start to sing out loud once at "The Wizard and I" but remembered quickly to let the people around us enjoy the show.  We did mouth the duet portion of "Defying Gravity"to each other, and it was such a sweet moment I just want to lock it in my heart!

The drive home was quiet - tired girl slept for the first hour.  We stopped at Wendy's once we got back into GA and shared fries and a Frosty.  She told me this was "the best day in the world!" and when I asked why she said "because of all the time I got to spend with you, Mommy!"  Adorable.  I know we will clash as she gets older, but I hope we can still have special days like this, or that I can keep those sweet small details in my mind.


I have a date night planned with my little man later this week - he was out with Corey when I purchased the tickets and was a little bummed when he got home that he was not included in the plans - but some of that was just him being tired from being out late with Corey - so they had a nice quiet guys day of building Legos and playing video games :)

My matching men

Sometimes it's enough

I sat in bed last night, frustrated with myself for not having a more productive Saturday.  The same thing had happened the previous Saturday - the list of things I could have done seems a mile long - the house is a mess, there are more crafts I want to do than hours in the day to complete them;, productive errands I could run, and yet we've had a lazy couple of Saturdays.  But I can't continue to beat myself up about all the things I didn't do, it makes me feel bad about the time I spend just enjoying my family.

Yesterday I went shopping with Sara, took her to a birthday party, then came home and baked Resurrection rolls and dyed Easter eggs with both kids. We had a blast combining food coloring in different ways to make the different colored eggs.

I've been watching Harry Potter movies and reading the books with David in the evenings, and coloring with Sara, or playing tea party or vacation house with her many babies.  They both love to call "4 person wrestle!" and jump on the bed with Corey and me, and I posted on Facebook about how sweet is is that David sets his alarm each night so that he can wake up early enough to snuggle with me.  And I smile every time I hear Sara saying "loosually" instead of "usually."

Han Foldo and Fortune Wookie

While I already miss the baby and toddler stages of their lives, I know that this sweet stage of childhood won't last forever either.  Soon they won't be looking to me for approval of their art, or play, much less setting an alarm to spend more time with me! Sara's in a stage of "I want to spend all day all the time with you!" which of course makes me feel guilty as I go off to work or to rehearsal for a gig.  I think we're all counting down the days until Spring Break, and I'm looking forward to that block of time with both of them.

Yes I could, and should, spend less time on screens and more time reading or sewing, doing something that I enjoy and actually feels productive.  While we're at it, I should be taking better care of my body too, something I'm going to try to work on starting this week.  But I'm not the perfect wife/mom/housekeeper/or teacher (I've found myself getting more impatient with my students too, and am trying to nip that urge to raise my voice first), and I have to forgive myself and move on, because regretting what I could have done isn't helping.

Sometimes you have a lazy Saturday and enjoy quality time with your kids.  Sometimes just getting through the lesson is enough, and every class doesn't have to end with an engaging, high-energy activity.  Sometimes the clutter is going to build up, and that's okay too, because we have clean bodies, clothes, and dishes.  I have a list of things about a mile long to get done over the break, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't get to every one of them. Because spending time with these sweet faces is going to be at the top of that list.