Ahhh....

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.

"This is really sad," Adventure Guy said as he joined me lounging in bed last night. We had assumed the position: pillows propped, laptops on laps, television tuned to an episode of Weeds on DVD. The kids were in bed, and we were enjoying those precious moments of quiet before bed, our time.

And that time is far from sad. While we may need to ditch the electronics from time to time, that comfortable familiarity is something I value most in our marriage. After nineteen years together, he knows me far better than anyone else. He's my confidant, the one I want to talk to about the good and the bad, the exciting and the mundane.

Contentment is not exactly something I've striven for in my life. I'm much more of the type to disregard accomplishments as soon as I've achieved them. I've always been the one looking toward the next task, the next challenge, the next thing to possess. But, suddenly, I find myself in a place I really like, a place I have to call contentment.

Careening toward forty at a rapid pace, content is not exactly where I expected to me right now. I hated turning 39. I had been dreading the next birthday. But, now, admittedly 6 months from the big date, I'm not focused on that milestone like I was earlier. I attribute much of that feeling to Adventure Guy, but I also know that my new job has something to do with that as do the current ages of my kids. I love the new challenges at work right now, the opportunity to make a significant difference in the operations of All-American Public Schools. And I love having older kids, even dealing with Dancer Girl, our resident teenager. I enjoy being able to have a different level of conversation with my children than I could when they were younger, and I especially enjoy catching those glimpses of the adults they'll turn into in just a few years.*

While I'm sure that one day soon readers will surf by the find me bemoaning the latest personal or career crisis or the everyday craziness that is my life, for tonight, all's right in Suburbia.

*In case the above post made anyone feel like throwing up just a little bit because of the sappiness, I should mention that my current level of contentment does not rise to the level that I would feel comfortable posing nude for a Times Square billboard like the women I just saw on Ophrah did. There's got to be a limit to this whole contentment thing.

And A Points-Free Weekend Was Had By All

After logging another thousand mile trip on the trusty Suburban, we have returned safely home and promptly panicked once Adventure Guy and I realized all the coordination it's going to take to get our three children and ourselves to our evening commitments tomorrow night (that's commitments, not being committed, though it feels like I may need a little "rest" by the time the evening's over).

But I digress....back to the long-weekend which is much more fun to contemplate than is the beginning of the work week.

The weekend went very much according to plan. We were ready to hit the highway once we picked up Soccer Boy from school--his school starts and finishes an hour later than the girls' schools do, so we had already retrieved the other kids from the bus. Our trusty new route did indeed cut off a good amount of time, so we rolled into town in time to begin our eating tour of College Station.

My friend over at The Testosterone Zone often writes wonderful reviews of classy restaurants which serve gourmet food. Her posts make make my mouth water. There will be none of that here today. As I told Adventure Guy when the Suburban rolled into town Friday night, "This is an official points-free weekend." He suggested I use that as the title of my post. In total disregard to my Best Life and Weight Watchers efforts of late, I decided to eat whatever I wanted during the weekend. I had saved all my bonus points for the occasion, but, trust me, there's no way I stayed within the total. But I have lived to diet another day.

First stop on the greasy and/or fried food whirlwind was Double Dave's Pizzaworks. Double Dave's started in College Station and has since expanded to other cities, but it's a rare treat for us, having not made it yet to a location near Suburbia. We were happy to have a franchise open in my hometown, so it's not quite as rare an indulgence as it used to be. We had just enough time to down a dozen and a half pizza rolls, soft drinks for the kids, and not-so-soft drinks for Adventure Guy and me before heading out to midnight yell practice. It was fun to introduce the kids to an Aggie tradition that Adventure Guy and I enjoyed while we were students there, but it made for a late night. By the time we rolled into the house at around 1:00, everyone was more than ready for a good night's sleep.

There's a saying about the "spirit of Aggieland" and the traditions at A & M, "From the outside you can't understand it; from the inside you can't explain it." I'm finding that to be true in my accounts here. I ran across a new song during our visit, though, by an Aggie who's trying to make it in country music these days. Check it out at his myspace page. I wish I could share the video that they played at the game, but I'm not having any luck finding it yet.

And now, back to the eating! Saturday morning the girls and I slept in but were treated to round two of the food tour by Adventure Guy and Soccer Boy who were nice enough to go fetch us Shipley's donuts for breakfast. Forget Krispy Kreme. These are the perfect donut food, especially the plain glazed ones still warm from the oven. Then, sugar fix taken care of, we set out to buy an obscene amount of Aggie paraphernalia at the local bookstores. We bought Best Friend her requested A & M logo for her car, Mother-in-Law some t-shirts, and replenished the kids' stock of shirts, shorts, and jerseys. Oh, and I bought a cute belt that has no Aggie logo whatsoever.

After stopping by to visit Father-in-Law and his wife, we continued the food tour, going to Wings 'N More for lunch. While the rest of the family indulged in the signature chicken wings, I, in true no points barred fashion, had the steak fingers. And the onion rings, and, of course, the cream gravy as a dipping sauce. Fried-food heaven, I tell you. It's a good thing I only have the opportunity to eat this stuff once or twice a year!

The next stop was campus for a visit to the Memorial Student Center, where Adventure Guy and I were both involved in a number of student activities while we were at A & M and the Quad, where we watched the Corps of Cadets step off to march in to the game. Adventure Guy was a corps member as were my father and his father. We ran into several people we know and also met up at the end of the afternoon with our friends from Houston who were in for the game. I'm sure Adventure Guy would want me to note that one of the people we ran into was a yell leader during the time we were all at A & M. The term yell leader should automatically be translated into "big man on campus." After we finished visiting with him, Adventure Guy said, "Please tell me I've aged better than Yell Leader." I was able to assure him that he decidedly had!

Adventure Guy's ego appropriately stroked, we began the climb to our seats for the 6:00 p.m. kickoff. The kids were excited because we split them up so that the girls could sit together with their friend from Houston and Soccer Boy could sit with her brothers. This left Adventure Guy and me with the really good seats all to ourselves in the new endzone club area. I have to admit, I prefer being out with the general public, though the bathrooms in the club area are primo. The game itself went fairly well, and I'm happy to say that A & M did not go the way of Michigan this weekend.

After the game we visited with Father-in-Law a bit more and then turned in for the night. He left the next morning, and we decided to run on over to Houston to visit some more with our friends there, instead of spending more time in College Station as planned. The kids got to swim, and we got to conclude our feasting weekend with a trip to our absolute favorite Tex-Mex place, Lupe Tortilla. Their chicken enchiladas with green chili sauce are the best I've ever eaten, and the fajitas are fabulous too. I managed to indulge a bit in both and left absolutely stuffed. My two older kids were introduced to Mexican food at Lupe's and I can still remember Dancer Girl as a toddler powering down their barracho beans like she'd never have a chance to eat again.

This morning we drove the kids by our old neighborhood and showed them the two houses we lived in when we were there. Dancer Girl can remember a bit about the second house, but Gym Girl was too little when we moved to remember anything. Soccer Boy finds it strange that we lived anywhere else before he joined the family and emphatically states that HE never wants to live anywhere other than Suburbia unless he can take all his friends with him when he moves. That being unlikely, I think we'll stay put!

So, now we're home, and I'm the only slacker who's not unpacked. I've been wasting time catching up on blogs and having a nice glass of wine instead of getting to work. But I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

The Holding Tight, The Letting Go

My heart leapt as I saw him round the corner. A carefree boy and his dog, my little man. The boy who no longer likes to hug his mom when she drops him off at before school care, the one who hates it when I tell him he'll always be my baby.

Tonight, we engaged in the timeless tug of war between parent and child. Him seeking independence, me seeing the toddler he was seemingly just yesterday. It was a beautiful evening in Suburbia, and Soccer Boy wanted to take our dog on a walk around the neighborhood by himself. Recently, Soccer Boy's responsibility and maturity levels have increased significantly. It was time to reward that, to recognize that he is growing up. So I said yes.

No matter how much I know that our neighborhood is a safe place, that the likelihood of abduction by a stranger is truly slim, I was unable to still my mind, that mother's heart, unable to relax until my fledgling returned to the nest. I finished the dishes; I started a load of laundry. And then, as the sky began to darken, I set out to find my boy and his trusty canine companion.

And I was rewarded, as I stepped beyond our yard, with the sight of Soccer Boy rounding the corner, our miniature dachshund scampering by his side. He was so proud of himself for taking on the challenge of walking the dog by himself. I was so proud of myself for allowing him to go, for letting him take one small step on the journey that will ultimately lead him much further than around the block. But tonight, I took advantage of the moment to hold Soccer Boy tight. Just for a few moments, holding tight while letting go.

1 Down, 35 To Go

I am truly enjoying my new job. It's exciting to have new challenges. Having been in my previous position for several years, much of my work there had become routine. That said, last week, the first full week of the school year, brought about a number of challenges. When Friday afternoon rolled around, I was thankful for the weekend. I'm hopeful that the remaining 35 weeks of the school year will not be quite so eventful.

Thanks to the people who continued to surf on over to the Suburbs since my last post. My goal is to post at least every other day, which I obviously did not achieve this week. So, to catch up quickly here's what been up in Suburbia since Tuesday.

• I helped host a shower for the new wife of a colleague. It's interesting to see how showers have evolved now that most of the brides involved are no longer 20 somethings. This shower involved dinner at a great restaurant, good wine, lots of laughter, and a limo to make sure no one had to drive after all the fun.
• I dealt with my first PR crisis at work. It's always fun to talk to the media, particularly when our local paper is guaranteed to get something wrong or misquote you. This time they didn't misquote me but they did get some facts wrong. I often had to speak to reporters in my previous position, so at least I'm used to that aspect of things. For this issue, I also was the liaison between the district administration and our school board members, which is a new role for me. I just had to remember my earlier statement about being excited about new challenges while taking on this task!
• Gym Girl had a school crisis involving not being selected for a program she was really hoping for. I'd rather be disappointed a hundred times than have to deal with one of my kids being disappointed. She's dealing with it pretty well now, though she was upset on Friday when she got the news.
• We had a new fence put in since our old one was rotting out at the bottom. The fence is lovely, but it took three days longer than it was supposed to, requiring the dogs to stay in the kennel that much longer as well.
• Adventure Guy's mom gave his step-dad a surprise 65th birthday party. We all went over for a cookout and got to see some family that came in for the occasion.
• My father in law and his wife were in town and visited us from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday. Yes, really.
• Gym Girl and I travelled to the state capital to attend the All-State Gymnastics banquet. Gym Girl was named to the All-State team last spring, and this was the recognition event. She had her name announced and received a plaque.

Amidst all that excitement, we managed a few more mundane things as well. I introduced the kids to one of my favorite television series, Freaks and Geeks. We're through the first season. It's been fun spotting all the actors who went on to big careers. I loved this series when it came out because it captures high school so perfectly, and the kids seem to be enjoying it as much as I did. Hey, it's one aspect of Judd Apatow's work I can actually share with them. It's not likely we'll be taking them to see Knocked Up or Superbad any time soon.

On tap for today is actual relaxation. We went to church and Sunday school, and, while I'm currently doing laundry, my only other big plans for the day involve taking the girls to see The Nanny Diaries. I loved the book and am hoping the movie is better than the reviews indicate!

Full Circle, Geometrically Speaking

In a land far, far away, in a time long, long, ago, I took high school geometry. Okay, so it was in Texas and it was 1984, but I digress.

Let's set the stage. As a student, it was hard to miss the Garfield (remember, it was 1984) poster on the teacher's podium which stated, "I'm not hard of hearing. I'm ignoring you." Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it? Mrs. R was not a warm and fuzzy kind of gal. And I could have used some warm fuzzies. Geometry was not my thing. I was a good student, and I wasn't used to having to work hard to understand academic material. I had done fine in Algebra I the year before, but I was not remotely getting Geometry. Mrs. R's helpful explanations, such as "It's that way because of the invisible line that bisects the plane," (I swear this is true), were not proving very helpful. Now, I will admit that I might have been a tad distracted by the presence in the class both of my crush of the year and the resident mysterious bad boy who was repeating the class as a senior in a last-ditch effort to graduate, but this teaching style was NOT matching up with my learning style. Unfortunately, no one cared much about that in 1984, and parents, particularly my parents, had certainly not yet learned to write all about their child's unique learning style when asking principals for special consideration in class placement.

Fast forward to the end of semester one. Texas had just changed the passing score from 60 to 70 thanks to Ross Perot and House Bill 72. Mrs. R gave a looong speech about how out of the pure goodness of her heart, she would be raising the grades of students who had a 69 to 70 so they could pass the semester. And there I was, staring at my grade of 89. So channelling Tracy Flick about 15 years early, I shot up my hand and asked, "So, does that mean you're going to raise 79s to 80s and 89s to 90s?" And the answer? "HA, HA, HA, HA....NO!" And it's there until this day on my high school transcript. Geometry 1: 89. Accompanied by Geometry 2: 89. Yes, really.

Why am I telling you this? Or, better yet, why am I still bitter so many years later? I'll leave the second question for future psychotherapy, but as to the first question, well, Dancer Girl is now taking geometry. Since she is in 8th grade as compared to my sophomore year geometry experience, the reader can assume that my quest to marry well in the math department so as to pass on better genes to my children has succeeded. Thank you Adventure Guy, engineer. Tonight, for the first time since leaving Mrs. R's class (and going on to do quite well in Algebra II and Pre-Calculus and well as 6 hours of college math thank you very much) I was faced with the prospect of geometry homework. Dancer Girl had some questions and said, "I'll wait until Dad gets home and get him to help me." In an effort to dispel the notion that Mom can't do math and therefore convey somehow that girls in general aren't as good at math as boys, I said, "Well, I can take a look." She demurred until I added, "And, your dad won't be home until late, so you're kind of stuck with me."

And then I had NO IDEA how to solve her problems. It makes you feel good, I'm telling ya! I was hoping for a few more years before I became obsolete in the math homework department. Fortunately, Adventure Guy got home earlier than expected and saved the day.

But, this story does have a happy ending in another way as well. Remember, like the infamous Mrs. R, I too became a high school teacher. While math was NOT my field (I taught English and history), numerous students benefited from her teaching philosophy. Because in Mrs. M's class, a student never, not ever, earned an 89, which in my book is even worse than the proverbial Peppermint Patty D-. Nope it was either an 88 or a 90, but 89 did not exist in my classroom world.

Teachers often work for years without knowing how much impact they have on their students in the long run. My guess is Mrs. R has absolutely no idea of how much her actions way back in 1984 affected future generations of students. And I'm sure they'd thank her for it, even if I can't quite bring myself to do the same.

P. S. That hot guy? The senior trying to get out of geometry? She passed him. I'm convinced it was only so that she never had to see him again (particularly after that little incident with the scantron for the exam from first semester which he was auditing that spelled out "Merry Christmas Mrs. R). Oh, the injustice of it all. But I'm getting over it, really, I am.

There's No Crying in Preschool...Or Maybe There Is

After what seems like months of preparation (oh, wait, it was months of preparation), All-American Public Schools opened our doors (some newly refurbished) today for the start of the 2007-2008 school year.

My mommy duties involved delivering all three children to their respective school sites (Yes, I have three children attending three different schools. This will continue for another 5 years until Swim Chick and Gym Girl are together again for high school.) My work duties involved visiting all the classroom buildings at our five elementary school sites. With approximately 4500 students in grades Pre-K through 6th, that's quite a challenge. But, as I learned, not quite as much of a challenge as accomplishing the mommy duties.

We actually got off to a fairly good start this morning in Suburbia. Remember, I am operating in single parent mode since Adventure Guy is off at his sales conference. Having a husband who is an equal partner in this whole raising kids operation is fabulous, but getting used to that level of help and then having it disappear for a week is a challenge. But I digress. Other than a burned bacon incident (Gym Girl and Swim Chick cooked bacon, eggs, and toast this morning), things went well on the homefront, and we were out the door before 7:00 a.m. The plan? Drop Swim Chick off at her school (starts at 7:50 a.m.), swing by Soccer Boy's school to drop him at before school care, then drop off Gym Girl at her school (starts at 7:50 a.m.) and visit teachers and administrators there until time to go back by Soccer Boy's school to pick him up from before care, deliver him to his classroom, and visit more teachers and administrators at his site. It seemed like such a good plan.

Until I hit the traffic. The middle school where Swim Chick attends school is notorious for traffic jams. That is why I left the house at 6:55 to drive 3.5 miles with the target time of arrival being 7:15 or so. I should have known it was a bad sign when the traffic started slowing a good 2 miles from the school. We inched our way along until we finally arrived at the school at 7:30. No problem, I'd just revise the plan, now officially known as "Plan A" and drop off Gym Girl at her school, go to drop of Soccer Boy and return to Gym Girl's school for my visits. The younger two kids' schools are right next door to each other, so this would not be a big deal.

Until we came upon the flipped car. Yes, major wreck on the way to Gym Girl's school. We sat and sat through green light after green light until the police evidently arrived and began directing traffic. By this time, Gym Girl was panicking at the thought of having to get a dreaded tardy slip. Why couldn't all my students at All-American High have been that concerned about being tardy, I ask? I pointed out to her that there are no fewer than five school buses behind us, and that she will be fine. The principals understand traffic issues on the first day. Fortunately, I delivered her under the wire at 7:48 a.m. and she was not subjected to the horrors of the tardy slip.

Things did improve over all once I had everyone delivered. I was even able to reassure a nice couple who had just dropped their child at preschool for the first time. I came upon them first as I witnessed their escape from the classroom, leaving behind a wailing boy on the teacher's lap. I decided visiting another classroom at that point would be nice, allowing the teacher to get things under control without the assistant superintendent watching the process. By the time I had stuck my head in across the hall and made a bit of small talk, I was able to return to the first classroom and observe a content preschooler listening to a story, while still claiming the prime real estate of the teacher's lap. It's amazing what these preschool and kindergarten teachers can do. I watched teachers establishing procedures and building relationships that will carry them through the year, all in the span of a morning. Teachers at older grades do the same, but it's an art when your students are 4 and 5 and may have never been to this place called school before.

I was happy to run into the above mentioned couple later in my rounds of the school. I assured them that, minutes after they left, their preschooler was content and told them that my son had had the same teacher, that they'd be very happy with their son's year with her. They shared that they'd moved back to our state simply so their children could attend All-American Public Schools. It's comments like that that make my day and help me know that I'm where I'm supposed to be, making All-American Public Schools a place where any parent would want to send her children. 2007-2008 is off an running, and it's going to be a great year.

There's A Distinct Possiblity I Have Sunk To A New Low

I just finished reading all the blogs on my links while sitting in the bathtub. I know this is wrong on many levels, but I just couldn't help myself. Does it count that I balanced the computer on the edge of the tub rather than actually holding it over the water? Somehow I'm guessing the folks in IT won't think so. And Adventure Guy would definitely point out that I had crossed the line, that is if he were here to comment!

Usually I have the opportunity to check in to the goings on in the blogosphere during lunch, but with my new job that hasn't been happening. Evenings usually work well, too, but tonight I didn't get home until around 8:00, and then I was doing battle with rampaging ants and falling shower curtains, not to mention dinner preparation.

And, did I mention, my feet were in serious need of soaking? In fact, that's what lured me onto this dangerous path in the first place. I figured, I could just stick my feet in the tub while it filled and do some surfing at the same time. But, of course, I wasn't finished reading when it was time to hop in that beckoning warm, sudsy water. The really scary part is nothing bad happened. No morality tale to keep me from risking water damage in the future. But really, I'm going to reform. I will; I will!

Today was "meet the teacher day" at all our elementary sites in All-American Public Schools. We start school on Thursday. I needed to take both Gym Girl and Soccer Boy to meet their respective teachers, and, in Gym Girl's case, to buy school supplies, pay innumerable other school fees, and decorate her locker. I also wanted to make appearances at the three other sites, particularly in the buildings that were remodeled over the summer. The teaches there have worked tirelessly to get their rooms ready, and I wanted them to know I'd noticed.

So, I left the office at 2:30, went home to pick up my kids, and headed to Soccer Boy's class. Fortunately, we were able to do most of the paperwork and all of the fee paying on Saturday, so all we had to do was deliver his supplies to his classroom, meet his teacher (who was also Swim Chick's 3rd grade teacher), and fill out a bit more paperwork. Swim Chick and Gym Girl visited a few of their old teachers while Soccer Boy and I were in his classroom, and then I dropped Gym Girl off at practice and the other kids back at home. I then spent about 45 minutes at one elementary site that did not have any construction projects before going to one of the intermediate schools and the elementary site with the most extensive renovations. While it was fun to see the classrooms all complete and the happy kids ready for school to start, it was draining walking between the two sites, in heels, with the temperature reaching around 105 degrees.

After a conversation with the principal at the elementary school about her burgeoning class sizes (new developments are going in around her attendance zone, and it's hard to determine exact numbers until everyone actually shows up), I picked Gym Girl up from practice and went to her intermediate school, where I filled out forms and wrote checks in seemingly unending fashion. Much poorer, but with supplies in hand, we went to meet her new teachers. She'll have two teachers this year in a teamed situation. I know one of them well and just met the other, but both have excellent reputations.

Did I mention that all of the above events were the good part of my day? I called from the car to tell Swim Chick to defrost the hamburger meat for the tacos I had planned for dinner. She got the microwave started, and I told her I'd be right home. Do you think this would have been a good time to mention that ants had invaded our pantry? I'm thinking yes, but Swim Chick was evidently thinking no. I arrived; she and Soccer Boy pointed out the ants (they're looking everywhere to get out of this heat), and I spent about twenty minutes clearing things out and killing ants. During this time, I asked Soccer Boy to put his comforter that I had washed over his shower rod since the comforter was a bit damp still. Of course, he managed to pull the entire rod down in the process. I did get it fixed, only to return downstairs to be informed by Swim Chick that she had gotten nail polish on the table runner in the kitchen. Serves me right, I guess, for still having the 4th of July decorations out.

So, can you see why I was driven to escapism in the form of both bubble bath and blog reading? Calgon, take me away!

We've Shopped Til We Dropped

I am not much of a shopper. I don't like to deal with crowds at the mall, and I don't tend to shop for recreation. Now, I love to buy clothes and shoes, but I tend to do it in big clumps of power shopping rather than as an ongoing activity. But, it's back-to-school time, and my girls convinced me they could not return to school without a few new things. Swim Chick actually needed the most since she insists on continuing to grow at an alarming rate now that puberty has set in full-force. She had passed down several shirts to Gym Girl (who, fortunately, is still pretty receptive to this), and had also outgrown most of her jeans. I am also fortunate that neither girl is tremendously hung-up about labels, and Swim Chick loves shopping at Plato's Closet, a resale shop geared for teens. We took in several of her nicer things last week after the mass cleanout and found a couple of pairs of jeans she liked there for about a $5 net cost.

But, yesterday, we spent the afternoon buying school supplies, first at Soccer Boy's school, where they sell pre-packaged sets for each grade and then at a local store where the girls got locker shelves and organizers, plus some really cool crayons that roll up. I also bought some new frames at Hobby Lobby to use in my new office. I've framed several of the photos Swim Chick took at Sea Camp this summer. We were planning on the mall trip occurring yesterday afternoon, but I managed to end up with a lap full of Diet Coke after Soccer Boy and Gym Girl decided to fight over the french fries at our late lunch stop. Natural consequence? We all went home. Adventure Guy and I had a wedding to attend last night, so there was no time for going back out to finish our shopping trip once I had to come home to shower and change.

So, on shopping trip take two, we managed to find several things the girls liked at our various stops today. I picked up some new shirts for Soccer Boy at The Children's Place, and, better yet for everyone involved, Soccer Boy did not have to go along with us because he was invited home with a friend after church. Once we picked him up, we had dinner and then went grocery shopping. Adventure Guy is at a national sales conference in Las Vegas for the week, so we planned some quick meals for the rest of us.

I can't believe that school starts Thursday. Summer has flown, but I'm excited about the upcoming year. We meet the younger kids' teachers on Tuesday, and they are looking forward to that. We already know a few kids in their classes, but it's always fun to see the whole class list. I'm just hoping that it will cool down a bit before then. It is hot, hot, hot right now after our record cool June and early July. I guess it's finally summer...just in time for the first day of school!

Here are some of my favorite photos from Swim Chick. I think she has a good eye.

Just Another Relaxing Weekend in Suburbia

I'd like to report that due to Nazi-like enforcement techniques (thanks, Adventure Guy!), our game room and the three children's rooms are still lovely to look at this weekend, just as they were last weekend after we finished the massive cleanup project. My own closet even remains pleasantly clean and organized. It's so nice not to feel that sense of dread when I venture upstairs. One week down. Now, my goal is to keep at this organization stuff for the rest of the school year so that we make it a real habit. So far, predictably, Swim Chick has been the most resistant to the room upkeep. She did react well to my threat on Saturday morning (or actually afternoon), though. After she'd been asked to get up more than once by the emissaries I had sent from downstairs, I went up and told her that laundry was being sorted downstairs and that she could either get up and bring hers down or she could do her own laundry. It's amazing how quickly a "sleeping" teenager can move under such duress.

Our weekend started slowly and then ramped up. I was able to join some colleagues for a late Friday afternoon "meeting" that involved margaritas at one of the local Mexican restaurants. I then took myself to the mall for some shopping. I tried on some dresses with the thought of buying a new one for a wedding we have coming up this weekend, looked at some shoes, and then settled for replacing some makeup that had seen better days. I came out far to the good by indulging at the Clinique counter rather than in the shoe department.

Saturday morning I made it to Pilates class. We had a substitute, and, while she ultimately gave a good workout, she just wasn't as dynamic as the usual teacher. It was also a good thing I knew what I was doing because her instructions weren't very complete or clear as to proper technique. She must have tipped her hand by subbing at the Friday morning class too because Saturday morning is typically packed, and attendance was low this week. Once I was home and dressed, Gym Girl and I went out to pick up her birthday cake and a few last minute favor items. Then it was off to the laser tag place for her birthday party. The group played two games of tag and then had the party room for 45 minutes. Fun, easy, and not too expensive: a definite birthday party success. Gym Girl's best friend came home with us to sleepover for the evening, and I took everyone to Blockbuster to spend one of Gym Girl's gift certificates she received at the party. The kids settled in for movie night, and Adventure Guy got ready for our party Sunday afternoon by preparing brisket and ribs for the smoker.

Adventure Guy has been wanting a smoker for a while, and I bought him one for Father's Day. This was the first time he'd actually tried it out, and a friend from church who is an expert came by to show him the ropes. They did all the prep and got the meat smoking. It smelled mouthwateringly good, but we wouldn't know the results until Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, we got some sleep and then went to church and Sunday school this morning. After church we came home to prepare for the Sunday school get together that inspired the brisket and rib preparation in the first place. Fortunately, the house was in pretty good shape, though I did hang a few pictures that have been sitting around forever. The main task was getting the yard in decent shape. Why does grass tend to grow just fine in my flower beds but not so well in the places I want it to grow? We all worked outside for a couple of hours and then got cleaned up for the party.

I must saw Adventure Guy's first run at using his smoker was quite a success. All of the meat turned out great. We went through most of it, but he does have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. Other people in the class brought all the side items, drinks, and desserts, so I actually had little to do to prepare. It was a fun evening. We are truly fortunate to have such a caring and fun group of people in our class.

Tomorrow I begin my first full week in my new assistant superintendent position. I can tell already it's going to be a challenge as I make the transition. I'm excited, though, about all the possibilities for impacting students' lives. In each position I've worked in in education, I've viewed my work in light of how I can affect kids. First, it was the 140 students in my classroom; then it was the 2200 students at my school; now, it's the 9300 students in our district. No matter what else happens, I intend to keep the well being of students in mind each and every day as I go about my work. After all, I have three very special reasons for doing so: Swim Chick, Gym Girl, and Soccer Boy, three of those 9300. And as for the other 9297 kids? Well, they're all mine now too. And they'll have someone at All-American Public Schools looking out for them.

Happy Birthday, Gym Girl

Eleven years ago today, Gym Girl joined our family and forever changed our notion that we "knew about girls" after having had Swim Chick first. Gym Girl is our quiet, sensitive child. She is very caring toward others and has a huge heart. She's also tough as nails and highly competitive: tell her something is difficult to do, and she'll work tirelessly until she has mastered it.

It's easy to tell that Gym Girl is growing up by the way she organized her birthday party. She decided to have it at the local laser tag place and then went with me to pick out party supplies. She coordinated the plates, napkins, and invitations and took care of rounding up her friends' addresses and addressing the invitations. She also knew exactly what she wanted the cake to look like and described it to the bakery. She decided on one that looks like a wrapped present. It should be cute. So far, we're expecting around six girls for the party and are waiting on RSVPs from four more.

While the official party is on Saturday, we've already begun the celebrating here in Suburbia. Gym Girl invited her best friend to come along with us to Shogun tonight. It's her favorite restaurant and the one she typically chooses for special occasions. We had a fun chef who really played things up during the cooking portion, even if he did guess that Gym Girl was turning nine rather than eleven! It's also really neat that the friend who went with us tonight has been Gym Girl's best friend since they met in daycare at 18 months. It's amazing to me that two girls who loved each other on sight when they were toddlers can still have so much in common and be so close almost ten years later.

In non-birthday news, Gym Girl is looking forward to starting sixth grade in two weeks. She goes to an "intermediate" school with grades five and six, so her class will be the oldest kids there this year. She's decided to follow in Swim Chick's footsteps and take orchestra, though she'll be learning to play viola rather than cello. I actually tried to talk her into taking vocal music and P. E. (alternate days) because she has a nice voice and has taken voice lessons in the past. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of P. E., not because she's not good at it but because she spends two and a half hours per day in the gym. As she explained it to me, "Well, Mom, if I don't start orchestra in 6th grade, I'll be behind everyone else. If I don't like it, I can take vocal music next year in 7th grade, and I won't have to take it with P. E. then." Uh, that makes sense. I hate it when they're totally right!

Happy Birthday, Gym Girl. I'm looking forward to watching you continue to develop into a wonderful young woman.

Two Days Down

I'm proud to report that two days in to my new program I am doing well. I don't think I mentioned in my last post that I am also counting Weight Watchers points while I'm making the Phase Two Best Life changes. I've found Weight Watchers to be the best fit for me overall as far as portion control. Best Life just helps me with being healthier overall. So far, the biggest challenge I'm running into is the "no soda" rule. I drink too much caffeine, but I don't drink coffee, so eliminating soda completely led to a caffeine withdrawal headache. I decided to aim for only one soda per day and then hopefully cut it out all together.

With no sleep-away camps remaining for the rest of the summer, I've scheduled the next few weeks with a lighter workload so I can be home more with the kids. I worked today, and I'll work Thursday, but I was home Monday and will be tomorrow and Friday as well. It's been nice to have some down time with the kids home. Of course, I can't resist taking on some household things while I'm off. I need to clean out my closet and get that organized and then take on the girls' dressers and the game room. Fun, fun, fun!

I have worked in some real fun while I have a more relaxed schedule. I finished Dedication and am well on my way through the Stephanie Plum novel (more on those later). I also had a facial on Monday, and I've worked out both days this week: elliptical machine Monday and Pilates tonight. I also made a run to our local produce store to pick up fresh corn and some other goodies. We'll be grilling that tomorrow night along with some chicken. I'm hungry already!

My entries lately seem a bit mundane when I look over them. I hope people aren't bored to tears. But I'm enjoying a bit of the lazy days of summer and the opportunity to focus more on myself and my family.

All The Chickies

As of 9:10 p.m. all three of my little chickens are back at roost here in Suburbia. I met my parents half way between here and my hometown to pick up Soccer Boy, and the girls arrived from Houston by plane tonight. All went smoothly except for a moment of panic when we realized the girls needed their birth certificates to fly. I don't know why I didn't think of that, but fortunately, Adventure Guy was able to fax copies to his dad in time.

Speaking of Adventure Guy, now that our fairly long second-honeymoon period is over for the summer, I am determined to get started on my much delayed Best Life diet. Having the kids gone all of June, taking a vacation the week of the 4th, and then having the kids gone for another week was not at all conducive to watching what I was eating or in eliminating alcohol. My waistline, unfortunately, is showing the effects of too much indulgence.

Tomorrow, I will begin Phase Two of Best Life, the keys to which are eliminating six specific foods from one's diet: soda, trans fats, fried foods, white bread and pasta, and high-fat dairy. I also have to get back in the exercise habit. I made it to the gym once last week, which was not what I was aiming for. Fortunately, Gym Girl has to be at her own gym for practice now in the mornings, so I won't be tempted to sleep in on my days off. Realistically, I need to lose 10-15 lbs., which isn't a lot, but it's been hanging around for a while now. I was at my new goal weight last summer and fall, but I started steadily gaining once the holidays came around. I also didn't exercise like I should have from that time until now. Not sure why I'm surprised with the gain. My days of being able to eat whatever I wanted to are long gone now that 40 is much, much closer than 30 for me.

Other than turning over a new leaf tomorrow, my big plans involve more laundry. Yes, more laundry. The kids have brought home several big duffel bags of dirty clothes once again. I think this is my penance for all the fun Adventure Guy and I have had while they've been gone!

1236.8

That's the number of miles the "trip" setting of my odometer registered as Adventure Guy and I pulled into the driveway this evening upon our return to Suburbia. Since we took off last Tuesday, we've visited two different cities, learned one new time-saving route, eaten at two of our favorite Tex-Mex restaurants, endured three days of pouring rain and threatened flooding, caught zero fish on a half-day Gulf fishing expedition, spent quality time with 14 relatives hailing from three states, and divested ourselves of all three children for the rest of the week. Ahh, vacation!

Swim Chick and Gym Girl are attending a week-long Sea Camp at Texas A & M Galveston. No, we really don't farm out the kids for the entire summer, but my father-in-law proposed sending them this year, and the timing was great with our 4th of July visit. We were able to leave them with him to take care of drop off on Saturday, and they will fly home next Sunday. Gym Girl is in the Adventures of Marine Biology session, and Swim Chick is taking Coastal Photography. We've sent her off with our digital camera and all the accessories and are hopeful she'll be able to teach us a thing or two when she gets back.

While the girls were spending the week away, it worked out perfectly for Soccer Boy to have his week at what we fondly refer to as "Camp Nonnie and Grandy." The kids spend a week with my parents each summer, and they like to divide it up so that Soccer Boy goes one week and the girls go another. That way my parents can cater to the different interests that the kids have at this point. On Soccer Boy's agenda for the week were playing lunar golf, swimming at my grandmother's house, a trip to the Star Wars exhibit in Ft. Worth, a children's play, and lots of interaction with his three cousins.

Since the kids are gone, Adventure Guy and I are going to take advantage of the time to get caught up at work after being out on vacation. We've also both vowed to get back into our workout schedules and to clean up the game room while the kids are gone and can't protest about the stuff we want to get rid of. Yep, we really know how to have fun!

The Sound and The Laundry

Laundry has taken over my life. I actually found myself earlier today lauding my spot removal ability to the children. Later, I marveled about my talent for getting my whites really white. What spurred all this focus on clothing cleanliness? Three children, 25 days of camp, three trunks, three huge duffels, three dirty clothes bags. Need I say more?

On the way home yesterday from Branson, I made Adventure Guy stop by the store so that I could purchase supplies. I exited Albertson's with the new Tide with Febreeze, a large tub of OxyClean, and a fabric softener refill. When we arrived home, Adventure Guy backed the Suburban up to the garage door, and we proceeded to empty all the luggage onto a tarp I spread out on the floor of the garage. Everything the kids owned seemed to be smelly and damp. Some key phrases, "Soccer Boy, why didn't you change your sheets? This new set is still in your trunk." "Oh, mom, I didn't even know those were there." And yet, they are damp and smelly. Impressive. I just calculated, and I believe that I have been doing laundry for over 27 hours. I'm counting all day today while I was at work because I started the socks and all other bleachable whites in a pre-soak mode and then stopped the machine and let them soak all day. When I got home, I had to run the rest of that cycle and then run them through another cycle after taking one look at the water from the pre-soak load. Currently, the last load is in the washer. I just have to wait for the dryer to finish, and I'll be home free. Until I need to start on the regular wash this weekend.

After having an amazingly quiet (and clean) house for a month, I have to admit I'm thrilled with the noise level around here. The kids are getting calls, watching television, having friends run by the house. It's great to have them home. I'm missing the neatness, but I'll trade that any day for the bustle of our life here in Suburbia.

I can't resist posting a few shots from camp. While neither of the camp tribes my kids are part of won the overall competition this term, all of them had a great time and did well in their sports clinics and in the end-of-term sporting events. Gym Girl won "best all-around athlete" for her age division. She's below in the process of doing her back tuck off the beam which she mastered at camp as well as doing the high jump. Swim Chick also placed in the standing broad jump and won all her events in the swim meet. Soccer Boy did not win any big awards, but his counselors reported that he didn't let his cast stand in the way of anything he wanted to do or accomplish while he was at camp. Unfortunately, I don't have any great action shots of him since the boys didn't have any sports demonstrations as part of the closing and did swim meet (harder to shoot) rather than track meet while we were there. Nonetheless, I'm one proud momma all the way around!

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted

I'm sitting on a deck in the Ozarks, waiting for our freshly-caught trout to be fried, and updating my blog. And to top it off, between yesterday and today, we've caught glimpses of both Gym Girl and Soccer Boy at camp--illicit glimpses stolen while we were out boating on the lake the camp abuts. What more could a girl ask for?

This morning began at 7:00 a.m. when Adventure Guy woke me up and asked me if I wanted to go out fishing with them on the first shift or if I wanted them to let me sleep in and swing back for me later. While I relished the idea of a little extra sleep, I opted to join him and our friends on the boat. I didn't regret it. We're on Lake Taneycomo, which is fed with water pulled off the bottom of Table Rock Lake. Current water temperature? 55 degrees. In the morning, the fog was still hovering over water, and there was a chill in the air. We drove out in the pontoon boat, huddled in sweatshirts, taking in the natural beauty as well as the best haul of fish we've had in several years. The trout have been finicky on recent trips, but today, they were jumping. The guys fished, while the women read and occasionally pitched in on fish netting. I finished one book and two magazines, and I honestly haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.

Here are a few shots from this morning. It's hard to capture the fog drifting over the lake, but it's beautiful. We've had rain showers on and off through the trip, so we've even had moments of fog midday.

We stopped off at Branson Landing for lunch before hopping back on the boat for more fishing and another run by the camp. This time, the boys were all out competing in the track meet. We were able to spot Soccer Boy as he ran his last event, the long-distance race. We were able to see him finish, well ahead of most of the pack. Considering that he is one of the youngest campers there, we were really proud, and I was thrilled to be able to see it.

Tomorrow, we'll get up early and go to camp for our first official activities. I can't wait to hear all about the term from the three of them and to watch the girls' track meet and the boys' swim meet. And we'll be rooting for the kids' camp tribes, the Choctaws and the Kickapoos to win at the final ceremonies on Monday!

Kids or Bust

We are headed out early tomorrow on our way to pick up the kids at camp. I'm looking forward to our last couple of grown-ups only days but even more forward to seeing everyone on Sunday. I may have limited access until we're back on Wednesday, so don't give up on me if I don't post for a few days!

Blur

Was that June speeding by? With the kids at camp, I expected to have plenty of time to relax and also to get some things done both at work and at home. That did not exactly happen. I'm amazed each summer by how much more work seems to materialize in my office. I swear I had some down time during the summer when I first took this job seven years ago. People often ask, "So what do you do up there in the summer anyway?" In fact, my colleague said to me yesterday, "If one more person asks 'What in the world do you guys do up there in the summer anyway?' I will not be held responsible for my actions." So yes, the question comes up often.

What we're doing is trying to hire the best possible professional staff including in my direct responsibility three counselors (two retirements, one transfer left these positions open), one special education transition coordinator, two social studies teachers, and two special education teaching positions (plus one more if I hire internally for the transition coordinator). I've been in what seems like nonstop interviews. I'm also finalizing the master schedule, which is somewhat dependent on hiring decisions and has a deadline of July 3rd in order to work with a planned system changeover in the technology department. Yesterday I spent all day out of the office at a district-wide administrators' retreat, thinking about what I could have been doing with my time back at the office. Not that it wasn't valuable, but it seems like the timing for that annual event is always off somehow. I am looking forward to tomorrow, though, where all I have on my calendar is one meeting with my social studies curriculum specialist and a haircut, the latter of which is sorely needed.

Adventure Guy and I have done pretty well as practice empty-nesters. We've eaten out a bit more than usual, and we worked together in the yard on Sunday between rain storms. We've also watched some good movies from Netflix and thought a number of times about going to see Waitress, which is still on my list. Maybe an all out last-ditch effort will be made tomorrow night. Oh, and did I mention our newest addiction? In the not good for the waistline category, we have the local organic bread store. Best Friend introduced Adventure Guy to this culinary delight on his birthday when she presented him with his very own rustic baguette and a "frequent loafer" card. What can I say? She knows my man. All month now he's been saying things like, "Since you're nearby, can you run by the bread store?" The baguettes are good but the challah is to die for. I'm also likely to be found on Saturday mornings circling the lot in hopes of finding the chocolate filled croissants in stock.

Thursday night our friends whose kids are also at camp will arrive again from Houston. We'll pack up the respective Suburbans and head to Branson on Friday morning. Friday and Saturday will be devoted to boating, fishing, and shopping (in no particular order). Then on Sunday we'll get to see the kids for a full-day of closing activities: track meet, swim meet, family vespers, cabin awards ceremony, carnival, camp term movie. Monday morning it will all wrap up for another year with the announcement of major camp awards and the results of the tribal competition that's been going on all month. By ten o'clock we'll be headed back to our rental cabins on the lake and soon after we'll hit the pontoon boat with the kids in tow this time.

It's hard to be this close to seeing the kids and not be missing them desperately, but things like this make it easier to take. That's Soccer Boy, clearly letting his cast keep him from enjoying camp!

Anticipation

I write from the calm at the eye of the storm. Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. my children will board a bus that will take them to camp. In preparation, I have labeled many pairs of socks and underwear, filled prescriptions, paid enormous sums for strengthened contact lenses and eyeglasses prescriptions, purchased "pink ladies" jackets for one of the costume parties, and packed everything needed for 25 days into one duffel and one trunk for each child.

We are now awaiting the arrival of our long-time friends, the best man in our wedding and his wife, who are driving in from Houston to put their three children on the bus with ours. Adventure Guy and Best Man met when they themselves were kids at this camp. They've been best friends ever since. I find it amazingly cool that our children are now attending camp together at the same place. The ages line up nicely. We have pairs of 13 year olds and 10 year olds bracketed by a boy at each end, one 15, one 8. After pizza tonight, we'll let the kids hang out, dreaming of all the excitement that's in store while the grown ups dream about almost a month of childfree days and nights. But we'll be sad when we send them off tomorrow, really we will!

I'm also looking forward to a little R & R of my own starting tomorrow. I will wrap up our big retreat event at work and then take off for Texas to visit my family. Adventure Guy is, appropriately, running an adventure race this weekend, so I'm going to take advantage of the down time to spend a few days with my parents and my sister and her family. My nephew will have his first birthday party while I'm there, and I'm going to do as little as possible until Tuesday when I'll head home to start hiring new teachers and finalizing the master schedule. And, I am going to Catch. Up. On. My. Scrapbooking. There. I've said it in print. I must do it. I'll keep you posted!

Confirmation: The Recipes

There's been no posting of late because I've been busily preparing for the brunch I hosted today after Swim Chick's confirmation service as well as visiting with my parents and grandmother who were in for the occasion and attending a Leadership Retreat for Junior League on Friday night and Saturday morning.

If I do say so myself, the brunch was a success. Adventure Guy's mom and step-dad joined us as did his sister and her family. My parents and Adventure Guy's parents get along well and enjoy visiting with one another, and the kids all enjoyed having their younger cousins around to play with (my niece is five and nephew almost one).

The nice thing about the meal today is that everything except the salad was prepared last night. All I did today was bake the casseroles and make the salad and dressing. Here are the recipes. Enjoy!

Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze
1 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. bourbon
1/4 c. orange juice
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 6-8 lb. smokes ham half

Microwave honey and molasses for 1 minute. Whisk to blend. Whisk in bourbon, orange juice, and mustard. Remove skin and excess fat from ham, and place ham on a rack in roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees on lower oven rack for 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees, basting occasionally with honey mixture. Bring remaining glaze to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and serve with sliced ham.

Cheesy Potatoes
2 lb. frozen hash browns, thawed
1/2 c. melted butter
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pt. sour cream
10 oz. graded sharp cheddar cheese
paprika

Completely thaw hash browns. Combine with all remaining ingredients and pour into 3 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Mandarin Orange Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 small purple onion, sliced thin
8 oz. mandarin oranges, drained
2 1/2 oz. sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing:
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. tarragon vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. white pepper

Layer all salad ingredients in salad bowl. For dressing, combine all ingredients in blender and process 3o seconds.

Crunchy Brunch Egg Casserole
2 c. plain croutons
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Bacon, crumbled (optional)

In bottom of greased 9 x 13 dish combine croutons and cheese. Mix remaining ingredients except for bacon and pour over crouton mixture. If using bacon, add to top. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. May be prepared several hours in advance or overnight.

Blueberry and Almond Cottage Bread
2 c. flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 c. milk
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 slivered almonds
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, drained

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Beat the eggs with the butter, milk and almond extract in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg mixture and the almonds, stirring just until mixed. Fold in the blueberries.

Pour into a greased and floured 5 x 9-inch bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes our clean; the top of the bread will crack. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen from the edges of the pan and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Merry Month Of May

I think I've mentioned previously how crazy May is in Suburbia. It's the month where all fronts in the balance challenge that is my life collide. Work brings state athletic tournaments, the senior awards assembly, our culminating assembly for our year-long theme, graduation, and building next year's master class schedule. The kids are involved in numerous year-end activities of their own: music programs, gymnastics banquet, Soccer Boy's birthday, and, this year, confirmation for Swim Chick. We are also in full-swing for camp preparations; they leave June 1. Adventure Guy also has a birthday this month, and he's involved in year-end soccer events now that he's joined the association board.

This weekend is shaping up to be a hectic but good one. My parents and grandmother are coming to visit for Swim Chick's confirmation. In the meantime, I also have a Junior League leadership retreat that I have to attend Friday evening and Saturday morning. Fortunately, my guests are understanding of our crazy schedule. They'll get in fairly late on Friday night and then hang out with the kids on Saturday morning while I'm gone.

I have been prepping for the visit, though. I got all my outside pots and hanging baskets planted over the weekend, and today I finished some planting in my front flower bed. I put hot pink petunias in, and I think they'll look really nice this summer. I've also got my menu for the brunch following confirmation on Sunday all planned since I'll need to grocery shop tomorrow.

We'll be having:
Baked Ham
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Green salad with mandarin oranges and candied almonds
Blueberry Almond Bread
Bacon and Egg Crunchy Brunch Casserole
Brownies
Theta Shoppe Vanilla Bars

The nice thing about the menu is that most is doable ahead of time. I'll have everything ready so that all I need to do is bake the two casseroles on Sunday. Now I just need to check my silver to see if it needs any work and plan my serving dishes!