Writing

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I was at school last night and decided to take a quick walk down the hallway to check out the class bulletin boards. I really missing being in the kids’ school each day and seeing all that goes on. Both of their classes had writing assignments on their boards. I stopped and read many of them, which isn’t something you have much time to do when you’re working in the school every day!

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In 5th grade they are learning about “5th grade words” or higher level writing. This assignment was to write a story about a very inappropriate (for advanced writing) word.

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In 3rd they are working on descriptive language in their writing. Eve brought home a draft of this last week and after I read it she said, “Can’t you just smell the pizza?! Are you hungry now?!” (Sorry this is such a blurry image.)

Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa!

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Grandpa turned 90 this weekend!  To celebrate we had a big family gathering with all four of his children there, plus spouses, some grandchildren, and even great grandchildren!  From all corners of the country people came to celebrate.  It was so fun and, as always, I wish it could last a lot longer.

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Just hanging out, enjoying the beautiful fall day, and waiting for the West Coast crowd to arrive.

As soon as everyone was in one place we organized for a family photo. (For a quick stroll down memory lane, check out the family picture from 10yrs ago, this sweet picture, or this incomplete but funny Christmas picture)

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Greg suggested we all line up single file and then put our heads out on either side! I wish we had managed that picture! :)

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Almost there…

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What a good looking family!

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Can’t be a Steuer/Collier/Johnson picture without a bit of silly at the end!

After we managed a lovely family photo Rosy headed home (she’d had enough already!! Just kidding, really she had to work) and the rest of us hung out, chatted, cooked, set tables, slide down stairs, checked out Minecraft sites, drank wine, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

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There are a lot of tall guys in this family! Greg was trying to get Eve to do a silly thing that we used to love doing as kids, but Eve was plenty silly all on her own!

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Getting dinner set up.

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The BEST photo bomb!

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Like father, like daughter. Silliness definitely runs in this family!

Time for presents! Eve made Popcube a puzzle for his birthday present. Earlier in the week she was thinking about presents and asked me what kinds of things he liked doing. One of the things I said was puzzles, but I told her that at 90 years old it’s hard for him to do puzzles with tiny pieces like he used to. She thought about it and decided to make him a puzzle with large pieces that he could do easily.

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Popcube opening Eve’s present.

After presents and cards we all headed downstairs for dinner. We had two kinds of lasagne, three kinds of bread, salad, and desserts. We worked hard on that meal and everyone enjoyed.

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Sitting down for dinner.

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I like taking pictures of people taking pictures. :) It looks like there was a serious discussion going on in the foreground!

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Oh Greg! (What you can’t see here is Eve, on the other side of Alan, making the exact same face!)

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Happy Birthday Grandpa!! We decided to go easy on him and only give him one candle instead of ninety.

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I like this picture, despite the blurry. He was just so happy all day.

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A birthday pie by Mema. I suggested she put “90” on there, and she took it to a whole other Grandpa-inspired level. (So many blurry photos. :( )

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Lex started a new dining trend.

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It caught on quickly.

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Uh oh! Someone gave Greg a weapon! Take it outside boys, take it outside. (and they did, and they had a blast!)

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Goodbye hugs, still silly. Greg finally talked her into putting her arms like that so he could lift her and fly her around. I tried to get a picture of that, but it was all too blurry!

In celebration of Grandpa’s 90th, the moon decided to put on a show! It was a full moon, a harvest moon, a blood moon, and a lunar eclipse. I feel like I’m forgetting something too. Apparently only happens every 18 years or so. We decided to stay up late and watch it. Everyone was excited (except tired me) and we bundled up and brought out the lawn chairs. I enjoyed it too. Shhh, don’t tell. At 10:11pm the moon was fully covered and turning red. We loudly discussed astronomy and displayed our complete ignorance of moon cycles and such things for the whole neighborhood to hear. :) I think we all need to go back to school!

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My camera clearly is not up to snuff for night photography!

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Super harvest blood moon lunar eclipse! Google it for much better photos. :)

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A blurry, blurry close up.

We were too tired to stick around for the un-eclipsing of the moon so we headed in for bed. I thought the shadow would keep moving right across the moon, but I kept checking as I was getting the kids into bed and getting myself ready for bed, and that red moon stayed steady for a long time. (Lots of good information about it here…. I should read it myself some day!)

The next day was a school day so the kids went to school and I had errands to do. Most everyone else went to lunch at Mickey’s and hung out for the day. Someone else will have to share photos of that. Mom sent me this picture of Grandpa with his new puzzle. :) I love it!

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Popcube completed Eve’s puzzle. A drawing of him, wearing his red Scrabble sweatshirt, and holding a green airplane.

I hope we have many, many more happy occasions to celebrate as a big extended family. I’m chomping at the bit to get out West again myself. I’m hoping I can make that happen next summer. Maybe I’ll started a GoFundMe campaign. ;)

Eve’s first field hockey game!

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Eve had her first field hockey game tonight.  She was so excited!  She told me all about the rules and positions.  She was going to play right link.  So excited!

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I love this girl! She was so excited, and nervous, about her first game.

It was a beautiful day for a game!  These pictures are all from my phone, then zoomed and cropped, so I hope they aren’t too blurry on a big screen. 

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She caught me taking her picture and granted me a little wave. :-)

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Lucky #13

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Lex grudgingly came to the game, but ended up having fun and was a great cheerleader for the team. I even saw him giving her a big hug at the end of the game. Love the love.

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Sporty girl!

The game lasted an hour and her team won 2-1.  Eve played the second half of the game.  She did great!  When she wasn’t on the field she was on the sidelines cheering her team on.  I’m super proud of her!

Pet sitting

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A few weeks ago (or more) the kids decided they wanted to get a dog. We went online and found out that they cost $300-$400 at the humane society, depending on the age of the dog. The kids decided they would save their money and Alan and I agreed that we would consider a dog if they really were able to save that much. Through our conversations the kids decided to start a pet sitting business to earn money and learn more about animals. They went to work making fliers and posters, and immediately ran into conflict over how to make the fliers and posters. They ended up agreeing that Lex would type up the fliers in Google Docs (his favorite thing to do!) and Eve would write signs to hang.

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One of Eve’s signs

A few days later they hung their signs and delivered fliers to every house on our street and many houses on the neighboring streets. Then they waited, eagerly, for the calls to pour in. Then we had to talk about how often and when people might need pet sitting services.

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Price list on the left and notes on the right.

Then, at our neighborhood block party, two different neighbors told the kids they would be in need of pet sitting services soon, and finally last Thursday the day came when they had their first job. From Thursday to Sunday they fed the cats for our neighbor. They went down to talk to the neighbors, took notes on what to do and where to find everything, and discussed pricing. Then then went down for four days and did the work. Lex wanted them to do it on their own, without my supervision. I told them I was going to observe the first few days and if they really could do it all on their own then I’d let them go on their own for the last two days. That never actually happened. They did learn a lot about how to be professional, how to work together, and how to stop complaining when mom threatens to take away your business. :)

I wanted to get a cute picture of them cuddling the cats they were taking care of, but turns out the cats are super shy and we didn’t see them once the whole time! Eve was super excited at the beginning of the job, but both kids were a little bored by the end. I think had there been cats to cuddle each day it would have been a lot more fun for them, and better photo ops for me!

I think it will take them awhile to earn $400 through their pet sitting business, which is great because it will take them awhile to learn how to work together and take care of a dog as well!

The leaves are falling…

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It’s leaf raking time again!

And so it begins.  This picture amuses me because her face so perfectly sums up how I feel about fall raking, but really she and a friend were outside and raking leaf piles to jump in, all on their own accord.

This evening she drew a picture of her fall fun… or at least her memory of it. :)

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We had a busy, but fun day today. The kids went to karate, then Eve had a friend over, then they had overlapping birthday parties to attend. Fortunately Lex’s party was right down the street so he walked to and from his party, and Eve and I rode our bikes to her friend’s party. When we got home Eve kept riding and her friend from down the street came out to play. I think everyone will sleep well tonight!

Job hunting?

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I decided not to return to my job as assistant teacher at the Montessori school this year, because I really wanted to find a full-time teaching position. I want to be the boss of my own classroom! I had a frustrating summer of very few interviews and no job offers, but really that was ok and I have been ok with the idea of subbing all along. I decided this was the year to hold out for what I really want, not settle for just anything. Of course, those who have been around know that my confidence with this decision changes daily. :)

It is really hard to balance what’s best for me (exercise, mental health), my family (home for the kids, home maintenance), and my career (teaching!). I want to work on all three “pillars” but unfortunately that’s very hard to do at the same time! When I work on the career it’s a pretty full-time commitment, leaving little time for the family/home and even less time for me! When I don’t work on the career I have more time for the other two, but end up feeling guilty about the amount of time and money I’ve invested so far into teaching, only to not continue the path.

So this year I’m not working. Yet. The first week the kids were back in school was excellent! I organized all my thoughts and scraps of notes into one big, long to-do list and started checking things off! I exercised every day and even lost two pounds that first week. It was great. The only uncomfortable times were when I had to explain to acquaintances why I wasn’t working and that really I was ok with things. I would get varying levels of pity and envy in response.

The second week I applied for a kindergarten position in a neighboring district and got an email from a close acquaintance about a preschool position in my district. My brain immediately started spinning! I lost focus on my to-do list, spent hours cycling through the pros and cons of taking (or not taking) either job, and basically started falling apart. I interviewed at both places. There were a lot of pros to the preschool job (teaching, short hours, in district), but a few big cons as well. So I said no. There were a lot of pros to the kindergarten position as well (nice school, nice teaching team) but a few big cons as well. I thought really hard and eventually emailed the principal and asked him to remove me from the candidate pool. I don’t know if I would have gotten an offer, but I think it was likely. It was a really hard choice for me. It would have meant an after school nanny for the kids, something I can’t even imagine, plus me back to my UVEI days of constant work morning, noon, and night. NO time for exercise, house up-keep, or family. Also, it was a different district with a somewhat different vacation schedule. I was a mental mess trying to decide what was the best thing to do. I finally came to a decision Saturday night, emailed the principal Sunday morning, and felt calm wash over me. Back to my stay-at-home, getting stuff done, probably subbing in the future plan. All was right in my head again.

Monday afternoon I get a voicemail (my phone never rings, something else I have to figure out and take care of!) from the preschool director at the school I had just turned down. She said she heard I hadn’t taken the kindergarten job (I didn’t even have an offer yet, but we won’t be picky) and wondered if I would please consider a long-term sub position in preschool. October to December to cover a maternity leave. Brain spin commence! At the moment it seems like it will be all the pros of the preschool position above, plus many of the pros of the kindergarten position…. but none of the cons. Perhaps. I’m going tomorrow to meet the director and see the school. An interview, I suppose, disguised as a visit. This woman has a kid who plays field hockey with Eve, so we have chatted as moms on the sidelines a few times. She seems nice. The school is lovely. We shall see.

For now I have to go get some exercise while I still can. Once again my future is up in the air.

Band!

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Lex has decided to join band this year.  Fifth grade is the year they get to pick instrument and play in the band.  Last year, in fourth, they all learned to play the ukulele, which Lex kind of enjoyed, but this year they get to choose.  He chose percussion.  I’d love to say it was because he is a wild drummer with a great rhythm, but in truth it’s because percussion stands at the back of the band.  :-)  He does have great rhythm though and the new music teacher thought percussion would be great for him. I went in and had a nice chat with her last week.  I introduced myself and told her all about Lex.  She had already met him and remembered him because he cried, briefly, during the first music class.  Sigh.  She is super nice though and very willing to work with him and let him be in the band, despite his past history with concerts. 

Tonight was instrument pickup from the rental company.  Fifth graders and their parents from all three elementary schools were there to pick up instruments.  Lex and I had fun!  Just as we were picking up his instrument a girl in his class came over and asked what he was playing and if he was going to play in the concert this year.  He said, “I don’t know, maybe.”  She said, “I think you should. You’d be really good at it.” My momma heart swelled!  Unfortunately the instrument rental guy started talking to Lex at the same time so he only partially heard her.  I love how sweet his classmates are to him.  My favorite little girl who tackled him in first grade was there too and she was more than happy to chat with him and tell me all about the band setup. 

Lex finally got his percussion set and immediately asked me to carry it because it was too heavy.  No way, José!

He is sooooo excited to get started with lessons.  His set has a snare drum practice pad (not a full drum) drum sticks, bells (which are kind of like a xylophone), and mallets.  Despite instructions from the music teacher to not touch anything until his first lesson (the instruction went to all kids, not just Lex), he had that case open in the car, gently fingering the bells.  He is so excited!   I can’t wait to hear him practicing.  I hope he loves it!!

Apple picking time again.

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One of my favorite fall things to do! Saturday was Customer Apprecition Day at Wellwood Orchard and my Facebook feed was full of pictures of friends picking apples. I wanted nothing to do with the crowds that day, so instead we went today. Mema was here today too, so we took her along.  Her first time at Wellwood!  It was much calmer, though really hot!! The website said they stopped making donuts at 11am, so we made that our first stop. Once we were sugar-fueled, we went to check out the animals.

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Feeding the goats

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An albino peacock?

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Don’t stand directly under the birds!

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Piglets! Mama pig was looking very hot and uncomfortable. Not an attractive look for anyone, especially a giant pig!

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Baby bunnies. It was so hot they were all panting in unison.

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Eve caught herself a bunny! I’m glad it wasn’t a “catch and keep” situation. :-)

We met some friends in the animal pen and hung out for a bit. The kids were happy to run around with friends for awhile. Then we refueled again with another round of donuts (this post brought to you by fresh made sugar covered donuts!) and then hitched a ride in the wagon up to the orchard.

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We met a friend there who volunteered to take group photo.  (I should probably crop this picture better, but my lousy blog posting system doesn’t make that convenient, so… you get what you get!)

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Oh yeah, we went apple picking too.

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I called this one the toddler tree. Tons of apples at a very accessible height.

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Not that my monkeys needed help. I let her climb one, but after hearing the apples tumble down I realized that wasn’t the best idea.

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Pears! Adorable, but not really ready yet.

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Hot and tires. Just a few more apples.

We had plans to go out for lunch after this, but everyone was hot and sweaty and “fun family time” came to a grinding halt. Instead we headed home to a cool, dark house where everyone could have a little space to calm down and regroup.

Now I have two giant bags of apples on my counter. In the old days the kids and I would bake pie or make applesauce together, but tomorrow they go back to school and I’ll be home making pies and applesauce on my own. It will be different, but good in it’s own way.

If you want to get lost in adorable pictures, type “apple picking” into the little search bar near the top right of this page. Lots of pictures from years past. Apple picking is an annual fall treat for us. :)