This morning I suddenly pulled about 20 things out of my closet to send to the D.I. I finally made peace with the fact that I probably won't be fitting back into all those beautiful size 6 work clothes I bought a few years ago and that's O.K.
It always feels good to declutter. But, that is not what this post is about.
This is about how I pulled Isaac and Katie out to homeschool them for a few months last spring and sent them back in the fall after I unexpectedly got a new job. Although the job has flexible hours and I can work from home some of the time -- it is still a job and I didn't want to be ignoring them for 15+ hours a week. Plus what would I do with them on the days I needed to go into the office?
I had enjoyed our months of homeschool together and I was sad. However, when fall came I discovered they were each matched with teachers who were perfect for them. It has been a relief to send all four kids to school and have my days free to focus on getting my work done.
About two weeks ago we had a really hard morning with Katie. Sometimes she is very anxious about going to school. Instead of driving away reassuring myself that her teacher is perfect for her and that sending her to school is the right thing and really the only choice in light of all our circumstances, I said a little prayer asking for confirmation that I was doing all I could for my children.
An hour later, a free newspaper arrived in our mailbox. I am always meaning to read it since I know the editor and some of the writers. I usually set it aside and glance at an article here and there over a 1-2 week period. I started to set it down and walk away, then I opened it to somewhere in the middle and the first story I saw was about DaVinci--the charter school where Sophie attends. That caught my attention and I started to read where my eyes landed about half way into the story. That was the part where it started talking about the DaVinci Distance Learning program.
It was e-x-a-c-t-l-y what I had been searching for last year when I wanted to keep homeschooling Katie and Isaac but I also needed a couple of days to go into the office. Basically, the kids go to school two days a week with other kids who are homeschooled and I get to homeschool them the other three days.
I took the timing of it all as a sign and called the school to find out more. I was thinking we should try to get in for next year, but the administrator of the program said there were openings and I should grab one quick before they were gone and it would be harder to get in if I waited until fall.
I talked to Katie and Isaac about starting homeschool again and, guess what? Isaac said he wants to stay at his school. I was totally surprised. At first, I was sad about his answer. Then I thought, this tells me two things 1) he is growing up (friends and fitting in are becoming more important) and 2) he isn't nearly as miserable at school as he was last year. Both of these are very good things!
Katie on the other hand was firm in her decision that she wanted to do this program (and promised not to cry about going to school since she would only have to go two days a week instead of five).
Earlier this week, I met with the administrator and toured the school.
As soon as I walked in, I had a nice peaceful feeling. I liked everything I saw and everything I was told. It is the most amazing program I can imagine!
Last year, I spent so much time researching and wading through the dozens of different curriculums trying to decide what would work best for us. I spent hundreds of dollars ordering text books (holy cow-they are expensive!). This school provides all of the curriculum. And, there isn't just one curriculum to choose from like some of the online alternatives for homeschoolers. Once a month, I will meet with an advisor who helps me figure out what curriculum best matches our needs. The school loans me everything I need at no charge. If they don't have what I need, they will buy it for their permanent collection so I can have access.
My favorite part of all is a room at the school that is dedicated to projects. There are hundreds of projects with all of the equipment and hands on materials I need for us to borrow and work on the projects at home. All kinds of cool science experiments and math games. Tons and tons of resources! This makes it so we can have an amazing homeschool experience without me investing tons of hours and dollars to make it happen.
I got a phone call today confirming that we got into the program. I had to change so many things around. I already gave up the restaurant features, so that helps free up a little time. I rearranged my babysitting schedule so I will only do that one day a week now and that gives me more flexibility. I rearranged my office schedule so I will go to work on the same days Katie will be in school. I will still need to work 1-2 hours/day from home on the days she is with me, but it shouldn't be a big deal.
I am excited. I am nervous. What if reading that story right when I did wasn't a sign? What if I made my life more complicated for no good reason? I know this will make my already full life even fuller. But, I feel like it is also adding something that is meaningful and that is good. I guess I will dive in and see where it all goes.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Letting Go
Sometimes I hold tightly to something in my life, even if it is a square peg that I am trying to force into a round hole. I keep trying to look at the scenario in new ways, so sure that I will figure it out.
Nine years ago, I was asked to write the restaurant features for the Standard Examiner and my ship had arrived.
Nearly seventeen years ago, I started my career as a writer working for the Davis Bureau, covering city council meetings and writing features about people who lived in Davis County who did interesting, newsworthy things. After a year or so, I moved to the main office where I wrote weekly business profiles. I was so happy when, after about two years of writing for the Davis Bureau and the Business section, I got my big break and was invited to write for the features editor -- Vanessa.
This was great for many reasons. The first was that writing features is what I always wanted to do. The second was that the features correspondent received generous compensation. I was a little bit spoiled. And, although I enjoyed covering art exhibits, events, concerts and plays -- I always wondered how the guy who wrote the restaurant features got so lucky.
Nine years ago, the luck shifted to me and I took over that gig. I truly enjoyed it. Restaurant owners are some of the nicest, hardest working people I have ever met. My stories were fun to write and they made people happy. It was fun to be in the know about all the new restaurants opening up as well as the oldies but goodies. It was interesting to discover the stories behind local eateries. And, without question I loved trying all the different food.
Plus, whether or not it really was cool to be the food writer, people thought it was cool. My kids thought it was cool. My identity became wrapped up in being the food writer.
The best of times were the years right after Brian was laid off from the Deseret News when Vanessa was still my editor and she enlisted him to take all of the photographs for all of my stories. We had good times discovering restaurants and the latest theater productions together. The pay was very good at that time, which went a long way toward easing the pain of the layoff.
As the story of life goes -- things changed. Pay was decreased. Expectations increased. The photo editor left the newspaper and Brian was no longer assigned to my stories. Vanessa was moved to a new department and after enjoying 14-years of working with her I found myself on a non-stop merry-go-round of adjusting to a new editor every few months.
If things had stayed the way they were, I would have been happy writing the restaurant features and food news forever. Instead it was taking me on quite an emotional roller coaster and I was wondering both if it was worth it and if it would ever get better again.
For months, I considered quitting and I had good reasons. But, my kids didn't want me to quit. My husband didn't want me to quit. And, every time I would think I had had it, I would meet another awesome restaurant owner. The intrinsic rewards of the job were very high.
About one year ago, the newspaper launched a monthly magazine called Wasatch View and Vanessa was put in charge. I wrote for the first two issues last April and May. Then I told Vanessa I had too much going on between home schooling two of my kids, starting my new job with Catholic CEO Healthcare Connection, babysitting and of course raising four kids. It seemed logical to let the magazine (which was brand new to me) go and keep the restaurant features.
Over the Christmas break I was very introspective. That led me to an epiphany last week that I had full control to end the drama and anxiety that the weekly restaurant feature was causing me under the new management. I was finally able to let go of being the restaurant writer.
I called Vanessa to let her know I would like to start writing for the magazine and she was excited. That made me excited. Then, I realized, I am back to the golden days where Brian and I can work on stories together for Vanessa. He is her favorite photographer and takes photos for the magazine instead of the newspaper these days. The other upside is that the magazine is under the jurisdiction of marketing not the newsroom (removing me completely from the workplace where all of the drama seems to happen).
It is very freeing to let go of something that has been so stressful. It feels amazing to not have to worry about meeting my deadline that I had every week of every month of every year for nine years. It is nice to have a little break from writing before I begin working on my first magazine story. Then, if I can find a way to say "no" to more than one story per month, it will be nice to have one project per issue that I can work on and enjoy writing again. Writing definitely feeds my soul.
It was a really big change for me! I didn't think I would ever want to quit writing the restaurant features. For my first magazine story this time around, I am interviewing the owners of two adorable local dress shops. Restaurants were great, but this is going to be really fun too.
Here's to letting go of all the things that no longer serve us in 2016.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Family Party
We hosted a "Christmas" party for Brian's side of the family on January 2 -- because that was the day everyone could make it. It was one of the most enjoyable get togethers.
I figured out that there are 48 people in Brian's family (his is the oldest of nine siblings, all married, plus their children). There are two more babies on the way, so the count is nearly up to fifty! That is a lot of people.
I was grateful that everyone was able to make it (except for a few nieces and nephews). All of the siblings and spouses, including Brian's sister who lives in Colorado and Brian's brother who lives in Roosevelt were there.
We had a wonderful ham dinner with tons of side dishes, finger foods and desserts. My favorite part of the evening was when we sang some Christmas carols with piano and trumpet accompaniment. Brian's mom, Rolayne, pointed out to me what a tremendously musical family we have. At least three of the nieces and nephews play the piano well enough for a sing along. And, many of Brian's siblings are proficient on instruments as well.
My side of the family is not as musical. When I was growing up, I always thought a nice family sing along sounded like a cozy, enjoyable way to spend an evening. I was right. I am so happy to have extended family and a son who play piano.
The next day (Sunday) was our first day of 12:30 p.m. church after a year of going at 9 a.m. My two youngest children currently dislike going to church--a lot. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the change from morning to afternoon church. But, Sunday made me realize that it gives them a lot more hours to complain about how much they don't want to go to church. I think we will have to do something about this.
This morning, it was back to school and back to work for all of us! I am happy we had such an amazing break. I am 20% excited to be back on a schedule and 80% sad the break is over.
I figured out that there are 48 people in Brian's family (his is the oldest of nine siblings, all married, plus their children). There are two more babies on the way, so the count is nearly up to fifty! That is a lot of people.
I was grateful that everyone was able to make it (except for a few nieces and nephews). All of the siblings and spouses, including Brian's sister who lives in Colorado and Brian's brother who lives in Roosevelt were there.
We had a wonderful ham dinner with tons of side dishes, finger foods and desserts. My favorite part of the evening was when we sang some Christmas carols with piano and trumpet accompaniment. Brian's mom, Rolayne, pointed out to me what a tremendously musical family we have. At least three of the nieces and nephews play the piano well enough for a sing along. And, many of Brian's siblings are proficient on instruments as well.
My side of the family is not as musical. When I was growing up, I always thought a nice family sing along sounded like a cozy, enjoyable way to spend an evening. I was right. I am so happy to have extended family and a son who play piano.
The next day (Sunday) was our first day of 12:30 p.m. church after a year of going at 9 a.m. My two youngest children currently dislike going to church--a lot. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the change from morning to afternoon church. But, Sunday made me realize that it gives them a lot more hours to complain about how much they don't want to go to church. I think we will have to do something about this.
This morning, it was back to school and back to work for all of us! I am happy we had such an amazing break. I am 20% excited to be back on a schedule and 80% sad the break is over.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Farewell 2015
I will always remember that 2015 was a great year.
It began with cashing out the equity from the sale of our 25th Street home. We quickly converted the cash into new bedrooms for Sophie and Ian, cement to extend the square footage of our basement, a new driveway, braces for two kids--I know, I know we are super exciting people, haha!
Brian travelled to Washington with my dad for three months for a welding job. And though we missed him, it paid all of our bills plus bought him a pick-up truck--something he has wanted forever.
I had three awesome months with Katie and Isaac doing homeschool. And, just when I thought my life was taking a major turn in one new direction (homeschool), it took a major turn in the opposite direction when I was offered and accepted a position with CCHC in May.
While I do miss the one-on-one time with them, this is a blessing for our family and I can't imagine more perfect teachers for them than the ones they have right now.
We got to go to Disneyland with my parents and my brother's family in June. What a wonderful memory that is!
On October 1, Brian started his new career as Marketing Director for GOAL.
Everyone is healthy and I cannot imagine a more charmed year than the one that is ending today.
I am still writing restaurant features. I had mixed emotions about it for awhile. I do still make money, but I get the feeling that the new management would just as soon that correspondents work for free.
The good news is that I have been given more creative license. For example, I can now write as a food critic if I want (rather than features only). When they told me, I asked if I could start being reimbursed for food. Because, sadly I have never been reimbursed for food. Shocking, no?
The answer was that I could turn in a meal receipt and be reimbursed OR get paid my regular amount, whichever was greater. This is why I think they think I should write for free (or maybe I should say for a free meal).
This has caused a great amount of introspection and I have come to the conclusion that I want to keep doing it even if it has become more of a glorified hobby than a job. After ten years as the restaurant writer (almost 17 as a correspondent-I can't believe it!) I would miss it terribly if it ended. I love getting to know all of the restaurant owners. I enjoy writing. And, there are a lot of meals that are at least discounted. It is fun to get to try the best menu items at every restaurant in town. And it is rewarding when the restaurant owners tell me my stories boosted their business. I will keep doing it for now.
Christmas break is coming to an end. I wish it could last a little longer. It has been very relaxed. Most mornings I wake up trying to think of where to go and what to do to entertain the kids only to find that they are happy to stay home. I think we all feel the pressure of the fullness of our lives right now and it is nice to enjoy some down time.
Last Monday, Brian needed to get some photos at Crystal Hot Springs for the newspaper's monthly magazine (Wasatch View). We met our friends from Honeyville and took an evening dip in the hot mineral waters. I think it was about 10 degrees outside, but the water was plenty warm and made the air steamy in a magical way.
After a soak, we went to our friends' house for a beautiful meal of homemade tomato soup, cheese sandwiches and an assortment of homemade ice cream. Wonderful night!
Now it is New Year's Eve and today is a milestone in my life to remind me that my family is changing. Sophie is going to a church sponsored activity at Weber State for 14-18 year olds. Ian is 13 and he is going to a party at a friend's house. This is the first year since I became a mom that I won't be with all of my kids on New Year's Eve.
It is a shift and perhaps that is why I don't feel motivated to host our traditional New Year's Eve party. Instead, Brian and I decided to take Katie and Isaac to Classic Fun. I always think parties like this (or, Boondocks) look like fun. But, I never end up going because I worry there will be way too many people there. Looks like I will find out tonight.
Last week, I wrote a restaurant feature on the New Year's Eve menu at Hearth on 25th--a fancy restaurant serving an even fancier 8-course meal. It made me wish I was having a grown up New Year's Eve at Hearth on 25th. At the same time, I didn't want to miss out on being with my kids to ring in the New Year. Things worked out well when we got to go to dinner with friends at Hearth on 25th last night. The food was amazing and the only thing that was off putting was when they gave us four choices of water. Three had fancy names like they had been through some complex filtration or osmosis. We opted for plain old (free) tap water. What? Tap water in Ogden is some of the best in the world! It made us feel a little silly. Other than that, everything was perfect.
Now it's time to celebrate one of the best years of my life with three of my favorite people (while two more of my favorite people celebrate with their friends - Yay!/Boo hoo).
It began with cashing out the equity from the sale of our 25th Street home. We quickly converted the cash into new bedrooms for Sophie and Ian, cement to extend the square footage of our basement, a new driveway, braces for two kids--I know, I know we are super exciting people, haha!
Brian travelled to Washington with my dad for three months for a welding job. And though we missed him, it paid all of our bills plus bought him a pick-up truck--something he has wanted forever.
I had three awesome months with Katie and Isaac doing homeschool. And, just when I thought my life was taking a major turn in one new direction (homeschool), it took a major turn in the opposite direction when I was offered and accepted a position with CCHC in May.
While I do miss the one-on-one time with them, this is a blessing for our family and I can't imagine more perfect teachers for them than the ones they have right now.
We got to go to Disneyland with my parents and my brother's family in June. What a wonderful memory that is!
On October 1, Brian started his new career as Marketing Director for GOAL.
Everyone is healthy and I cannot imagine a more charmed year than the one that is ending today.
I am still writing restaurant features. I had mixed emotions about it for awhile. I do still make money, but I get the feeling that the new management would just as soon that correspondents work for free.
The good news is that I have been given more creative license. For example, I can now write as a food critic if I want (rather than features only). When they told me, I asked if I could start being reimbursed for food. Because, sadly I have never been reimbursed for food. Shocking, no?
The answer was that I could turn in a meal receipt and be reimbursed OR get paid my regular amount, whichever was greater. This is why I think they think I should write for free (or maybe I should say for a free meal).
This has caused a great amount of introspection and I have come to the conclusion that I want to keep doing it even if it has become more of a glorified hobby than a job. After ten years as the restaurant writer (almost 17 as a correspondent-I can't believe it!) I would miss it terribly if it ended. I love getting to know all of the restaurant owners. I enjoy writing. And, there are a lot of meals that are at least discounted. It is fun to get to try the best menu items at every restaurant in town. And it is rewarding when the restaurant owners tell me my stories boosted their business. I will keep doing it for now.
Christmas break is coming to an end. I wish it could last a little longer. It has been very relaxed. Most mornings I wake up trying to think of where to go and what to do to entertain the kids only to find that they are happy to stay home. I think we all feel the pressure of the fullness of our lives right now and it is nice to enjoy some down time.
Last Monday, Brian needed to get some photos at Crystal Hot Springs for the newspaper's monthly magazine (Wasatch View). We met our friends from Honeyville and took an evening dip in the hot mineral waters. I think it was about 10 degrees outside, but the water was plenty warm and made the air steamy in a magical way.
After a soak, we went to our friends' house for a beautiful meal of homemade tomato soup, cheese sandwiches and an assortment of homemade ice cream. Wonderful night!
Now it is New Year's Eve and today is a milestone in my life to remind me that my family is changing. Sophie is going to a church sponsored activity at Weber State for 14-18 year olds. Ian is 13 and he is going to a party at a friend's house. This is the first year since I became a mom that I won't be with all of my kids on New Year's Eve.
It is a shift and perhaps that is why I don't feel motivated to host our traditional New Year's Eve party. Instead, Brian and I decided to take Katie and Isaac to Classic Fun. I always think parties like this (or, Boondocks) look like fun. But, I never end up going because I worry there will be way too many people there. Looks like I will find out tonight.
Last week, I wrote a restaurant feature on the New Year's Eve menu at Hearth on 25th--a fancy restaurant serving an even fancier 8-course meal. It made me wish I was having a grown up New Year's Eve at Hearth on 25th. At the same time, I didn't want to miss out on being with my kids to ring in the New Year. Things worked out well when we got to go to dinner with friends at Hearth on 25th last night. The food was amazing and the only thing that was off putting was when they gave us four choices of water. Three had fancy names like they had been through some complex filtration or osmosis. We opted for plain old (free) tap water. What? Tap water in Ogden is some of the best in the world! It made us feel a little silly. Other than that, everything was perfect.
Now it's time to celebrate one of the best years of my life with three of my favorite people (while two more of my favorite people celebrate with their friends - Yay!/Boo hoo).
Star Wars VII
When the Star Wars title flashed on the screen and the signature music started to play, everyone in the audience cheered--great energy and the movie was good. It reminded me of the original movies but with better technology.
I grew up with Star Wars--the action figures and dreams of having princess Leia hair. But, when Sophie and Ian were around ages 4 and 6 and I deemed them old enough to be introduced to great classics like Star Wars, I realized I had never actually seen the movies all the way through.
That seemed odd because Star Wars seemed so familiar, until I realized was only one when Episode IV came out and barely seven when Episode VI hit theaters. I remember going to the theater to see Return of the Jedi with my dad, my uncles and a group of my cousins. We were suppose to go to a 7 p.m. show, but it was sold out. Those kooky dads took all of us kids to the late showing instead. I think I fell asleep.
It was fun to discover the Star Wars movies with my children almost ten years ago. We have enjoyed watching all six episodes together many times since--although, my three older children were only introduced to Episode III a few years ago because it is PG-13 (Katie has to wait to see that one and Episode VII, which is also PG-13).
It has been fun to see all of the hype around the newest installment. Brian took the kids to a 3-D showing the following week.
This December was pretty relaxing. Mostly because I didn't fill my mind with a lot of expectations. It was a wonderful feeling to finish my Christmas shopping before December. After that, I decided to take things a day at a time.
There were a few Christmas parties--the ward party with amazing food and gorgeous snowflake decorations; Brian's swanky work party at Zucca that included his staff plus board members making it a large crowd; and a more intimate party with Brian's staff of six plus spouses, a fun night eating homemade soups and being silly playing left, right, center.
We attended two Christmas plays -- Elf at Sophie's high school and A Fairly Potter Christmas Carol at the Ziegfeld. Sophie liked the latter so much that she went a total of three times. We've been to Christmas Village and the kids have played in the snow. We have visited Santa and ice skated outdoors. The kids upheld their annual tradition of watching A Muppet Christmas Carol with my mom. We have really ended up doing quite a lot of Christmas activities even though I didn't make a list and check it twice to make sure we got out and enjoyed all the season has to offer. It ended up being a good balance.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
December 2015
X96 Bill Allred and Gina Barbari
December is off to a great start.
I woke up yesterday feeling so optimistic. It was Dec. 1 and I already had most of my Christmas shopping complete! Inspired by the wrapping Katie and I had worked on the night before (for some gifts we are giving away), I decided to get a head start on wrapping Christmas gifts for my family as soon as the kids headed out the door for school.
I don't like to leave my shopping until the last minute and usually get it finished early. But, I have a bad habit of forgetting to wrap things until Christmas eve. That doesn't work out too well for me. Maybe this year I will actually be sipping cocoa and enjoying my family on Christmas eve.
Today started out very well. After I dropped Sophie off at school, I heard on the radio that X96 was broadcasting from a car dealership in Ogden where they were collecting winter clothing for the homeless shelter. I went home and suggested to Brian we should go. We gathered up some winter coats we no longer use and headed down. It was my first time meeting Gina. Bill and I are on a first name basis. Except he might only know me as Brian's wife, but I'll take it.
After we made our donation, we visited for a minute during a pre-recorded segment and then Bill invited Brian to be on the air to promote the Ogden Marathon. He did an amazing job. I would have been so nervous.
I was so pumped up after that 10 seconds of second hand fame that I decided to call a friend who I have been trying to meet for lunch for a couple of months. Things never seem to line up for us, but today they did! We had a delicious meal at Gabor Brothers in Layton.
Such a nice day.
It is December and 2015 is coming to a close. I still remember with clarity waking up on January 1st with the distinct feeling that this would be a lucky year for us. 2015 has been so good to us in so many ways. I feel this is only the beginning. I am so grateful for my job and Brian's job and our family and all of the wonderful people who support us and make life awesome. I am looking forward to enjoying December to the fullest with all of the festivities, lights, and reflections on Jesus.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
2015 Thanksgiving
It was the perfect Thanksgiving.
I loved that the kids had the entire week off from school.
The Friday before Thanksgiving had a wonderful feeling of celebration. We were headed into a nine day break from school!
Brian and I had a date night on Friday. We splurged and went to the full price theater to see The Intern (even though it was probably headed to the discount theater a week or two later). It was worth it. I thought it was a cute show.
Saturday night, Brian was covering an event at Station Park in Farmington. I love that place. It has such a good vibe. The landscaping is so pretty and the architecture is grand. It is a fun place to shop or go out to eat and they always have over the top events.
We took the whole family because Santa was making his debut.
There were tables set up around the fountain where the kids could frost cookies, play games, get their faces painted, get a balloon animal, play games or pick up fun freebies like donuts, popcorn and glow in the dark necklaces.
Everything was decked out in Christmas finest and the fountain was putting on light and water shows to Christmas tunes. There was also a band and Santa made a fantastic entrance on a fire truck with all the lights and sirens turned on when the band sang "Santa Clause is Comin' to Town."
Sophie and Ian were good sports about skating on the little outdoor rink while I stood in a very long line for two hours with Katie and Isaac in hopes of meeting Santa. Our long wait turned out to be for nothing when we decided to leave because we still had a very long wait ahead and it was getting too cold.
It might have been a little miserable if it weren't for all the festivities going on around us and the outdoor fires where we could warm ourselves up in rotation while one person held our place in line.
The good news was that the person who hired Brian to take photos of the event handed him a bunch of free tickets on our way out that helped us have some holiday fun on Monday.
We had a nice Sunday dinner at my mom's house.
On Monday, I worked until about 3 p.m. Then, the kids and I headed back to Station Park where all four kids got to ice skate for free, we ate a free meal at Brixton's near the fountain (and saw Santa and Mrs. Claus enjoying their food at a table next to ours). Katie got to meet Santa. This time there was no line at all! We walked right in. We even got a free 5x7 to remember the moment.
She was so very cute skipping up to his cottage and sitting on his knee with wide, shy eyes. In a quiet voice she told him she wanted Disney princess figures and a pony. He looked alarmed when she said 'a pony' until she clarified that she wants a toy pony.
Sophie, who will forever love imagination and meeting characters, had to sit next to Santa and tell him how much she wants a Chromebook for Christmas. The boys were far too mature to meet Santa.
While the kids ice-skated, I decided to take an hour to hit some of the shops. I think Harmon's is one of my new favorite places! It is so cool. It feels like a whole foods with so many specialty foods. The hot chocolate and gelato - yum yum! There is a darling area upstairs with tables and couches around a fireplace right next to huge windows overlooking all of Station Park.
It was a wonderful day and I don't want to forget how cute all four of my kids were on the ice. When I returned, there was a little boy holding Ian's hand, skating around the rink. Apparently, he had chosen Ian to teach him how to skate and Ian is way too nice to say 'no.' The little guy made a good choice. Ian is as nice as people come.
All four of my kids were whizzing around the ice with big smiles.
Tuesday, I needed to get a lot of (office) work done. I decided to work from home and invite the cousins over to keep my kids entertained. They had fun playing together and making so, so, so, so many things out of paper. The adorableness of paper projects is wearing on me a little. Ream after ream of frogs and paper airplanes and snow flakes and such. But, I was glad they were happy.
Right at 5 p.m., I took my three youngest and their cousins to my brother's house where everyone was so excited to have a sleepover!
Since Sophie is older than the cousins, she stayed behind with Brian and me and we decided to spoil her by taking her to a movie -- her choice -- The Good Dinosaur, on opening night. The movie was ok. Sophie thought it was great.
I woke up Wednesday knowing it would be a good day. I took advantage of the quiet morning to sort through the toys and get rid of a bunch that were broken or no longer being used. I cleaned my whole house too. After I picked up my kids, I did something for myself and got a massage. It snowed. Katie and Isaac made snow angels and played with the sleds. That night, we put up the Christmas decorations as a family. It was a very, very good day.
Thursday morning, Brian ran a 10K with a friend while I baked rolls, steamed veggies and got the kids bathed and ready for a big lunch at my mom's.
I loved how Katie put on her most sparkly dress, purse and shoes for the big occasion.
The feast was picture perfect. Every dish was delicious. All of my siblings were there. I kept thinking about how I can't take Thanksgivings like this for granted. My mom is an amazing cook and we are so blessed to have her host such beautiful Thanksgivings every other year.
In the evening, we drove to Brian's parents house to see more family and eat more pie. Brian's mom makes the most delicious apple and lemon merengue pies from scratch. Even though I was stuffed, I kept making more room to enjoy the delicacies of the day. There was also cheesecake and pumpkin ice cream pie. Yummy! The kids were happy to eat more pie. Especially the ones who forgot to eat pie at my mom's house.
Friday was a lazy day. Brian had the day off, but he spent it working on a tile project for a friend. He worked hard, but the kids and I didn't accomplish much. We stayed home and it was nice.
Saturday morning Brian ran 14-miles. It was snowing again. Sophie and I went to a yoga class. It was my first yoga class in years and it felt so good. I also took Katie to a "little yogis" class. I took her to the class three weeks ago and she has requested to go every week since.
My kids wanted another lazy day, but I needed to run errands and be productive. We did get to go to my mom's for Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch. In the evening, we went to Brian's office because it is located on Washington Blvd. along the Christmas Village parade route. We were able to watch the evening lights parade from the warmth of his beautiful office. Seriously -- there was even a glowing fireplace to relax next to. Occasionally, we would walk out onto the second story balcony to get a better view of what was passing by. And, of course, we had to go outside to see the fireworks. But, mostly we were hanging out in that lovely office sipping hot chocolates. I said, "This place is so homey, I could live here." That is when I found out it actually use to be a funky loft apartment with shops on the lower level. Now, G.O.A.L. has transformed all three stories into office space. Brian's office is in the loft on the 3rd level. The 2nd level where we were hanging out has a big open kitchen, fireplace, etc. It's pretty sweet.
Today, I taught Isaac's primary class. It was so fun. I have really missed being a primary teacher.
Church was finished at noon. After a nice lunch, we had a talk with our kids about setting some ground rules for all the things they need to accomplish before asking for an electronics turn. We wrote up a nice list so that they can refer to that instead of incessantly asking me if they can get on their electronics from sun up to sun down. They took it to heart and were so sweet about completing everything on the list for the rest of the afternoon.
Things have been pretty quiet. I am enjoying our lit up tree and our stockings hung by the fireplace as I type this. I wish this week didn't have to end. It has been so peaceful.
I was beginning to feel as if my life was on repeat. Run here, run there, eat, sleep, repeat. It was so refreshing to take a break from the daily race life has become and enjoy some downtime together. I am thankful for this family of mine! I am thankful that Brian helped Katie with the dishes today and listened to her read five books. I love to do those things. But, sometimes it is nice when someone else does those things.
I loved that the kids had the entire week off from school.
The Friday before Thanksgiving had a wonderful feeling of celebration. We were headed into a nine day break from school!
Brian and I had a date night on Friday. We splurged and went to the full price theater to see The Intern (even though it was probably headed to the discount theater a week or two later). It was worth it. I thought it was a cute show.
Saturday night, Brian was covering an event at Station Park in Farmington. I love that place. It has such a good vibe. The landscaping is so pretty and the architecture is grand. It is a fun place to shop or go out to eat and they always have over the top events.
We took the whole family because Santa was making his debut.
There were tables set up around the fountain where the kids could frost cookies, play games, get their faces painted, get a balloon animal, play games or pick up fun freebies like donuts, popcorn and glow in the dark necklaces.
Everything was decked out in Christmas finest and the fountain was putting on light and water shows to Christmas tunes. There was also a band and Santa made a fantastic entrance on a fire truck with all the lights and sirens turned on when the band sang "Santa Clause is Comin' to Town."
Sophie and Ian were good sports about skating on the little outdoor rink while I stood in a very long line for two hours with Katie and Isaac in hopes of meeting Santa. Our long wait turned out to be for nothing when we decided to leave because we still had a very long wait ahead and it was getting too cold.
It might have been a little miserable if it weren't for all the festivities going on around us and the outdoor fires where we could warm ourselves up in rotation while one person held our place in line.
The good news was that the person who hired Brian to take photos of the event handed him a bunch of free tickets on our way out that helped us have some holiday fun on Monday.
We had a nice Sunday dinner at my mom's house.
On Monday, I worked until about 3 p.m. Then, the kids and I headed back to Station Park where all four kids got to ice skate for free, we ate a free meal at Brixton's near the fountain (and saw Santa and Mrs. Claus enjoying their food at a table next to ours). Katie got to meet Santa. This time there was no line at all! We walked right in. We even got a free 5x7 to remember the moment.
She was so very cute skipping up to his cottage and sitting on his knee with wide, shy eyes. In a quiet voice she told him she wanted Disney princess figures and a pony. He looked alarmed when she said 'a pony' until she clarified that she wants a toy pony.
Sophie, who will forever love imagination and meeting characters, had to sit next to Santa and tell him how much she wants a Chromebook for Christmas. The boys were far too mature to meet Santa.
While the kids ice-skated, I decided to take an hour to hit some of the shops. I think Harmon's is one of my new favorite places! It is so cool. It feels like a whole foods with so many specialty foods. The hot chocolate and gelato - yum yum! There is a darling area upstairs with tables and couches around a fireplace right next to huge windows overlooking all of Station Park.
It was a wonderful day and I don't want to forget how cute all four of my kids were on the ice. When I returned, there was a little boy holding Ian's hand, skating around the rink. Apparently, he had chosen Ian to teach him how to skate and Ian is way too nice to say 'no.' The little guy made a good choice. Ian is as nice as people come.
All four of my kids were whizzing around the ice with big smiles.
Tuesday, I needed to get a lot of (office) work done. I decided to work from home and invite the cousins over to keep my kids entertained. They had fun playing together and making so, so, so, so many things out of paper. The adorableness of paper projects is wearing on me a little. Ream after ream of frogs and paper airplanes and snow flakes and such. But, I was glad they were happy.
Right at 5 p.m., I took my three youngest and their cousins to my brother's house where everyone was so excited to have a sleepover!
Since Sophie is older than the cousins, she stayed behind with Brian and me and we decided to spoil her by taking her to a movie -- her choice -- The Good Dinosaur, on opening night. The movie was ok. Sophie thought it was great.
I woke up Wednesday knowing it would be a good day. I took advantage of the quiet morning to sort through the toys and get rid of a bunch that were broken or no longer being used. I cleaned my whole house too. After I picked up my kids, I did something for myself and got a massage. It snowed. Katie and Isaac made snow angels and played with the sleds. That night, we put up the Christmas decorations as a family. It was a very, very good day.
Thursday morning, Brian ran a 10K with a friend while I baked rolls, steamed veggies and got the kids bathed and ready for a big lunch at my mom's.
I loved how Katie put on her most sparkly dress, purse and shoes for the big occasion.
The feast was picture perfect. Every dish was delicious. All of my siblings were there. I kept thinking about how I can't take Thanksgivings like this for granted. My mom is an amazing cook and we are so blessed to have her host such beautiful Thanksgivings every other year.
In the evening, we drove to Brian's parents house to see more family and eat more pie. Brian's mom makes the most delicious apple and lemon merengue pies from scratch. Even though I was stuffed, I kept making more room to enjoy the delicacies of the day. There was also cheesecake and pumpkin ice cream pie. Yummy! The kids were happy to eat more pie. Especially the ones who forgot to eat pie at my mom's house.
Friday was a lazy day. Brian had the day off, but he spent it working on a tile project for a friend. He worked hard, but the kids and I didn't accomplish much. We stayed home and it was nice.
Saturday morning Brian ran 14-miles. It was snowing again. Sophie and I went to a yoga class. It was my first yoga class in years and it felt so good. I also took Katie to a "little yogis" class. I took her to the class three weeks ago and she has requested to go every week since.
My kids wanted another lazy day, but I needed to run errands and be productive. We did get to go to my mom's for Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch. In the evening, we went to Brian's office because it is located on Washington Blvd. along the Christmas Village parade route. We were able to watch the evening lights parade from the warmth of his beautiful office. Seriously -- there was even a glowing fireplace to relax next to. Occasionally, we would walk out onto the second story balcony to get a better view of what was passing by. And, of course, we had to go outside to see the fireworks. But, mostly we were hanging out in that lovely office sipping hot chocolates. I said, "This place is so homey, I could live here." That is when I found out it actually use to be a funky loft apartment with shops on the lower level. Now, G.O.A.L. has transformed all three stories into office space. Brian's office is in the loft on the 3rd level. The 2nd level where we were hanging out has a big open kitchen, fireplace, etc. It's pretty sweet.
Today, I taught Isaac's primary class. It was so fun. I have really missed being a primary teacher.
Church was finished at noon. After a nice lunch, we had a talk with our kids about setting some ground rules for all the things they need to accomplish before asking for an electronics turn. We wrote up a nice list so that they can refer to that instead of incessantly asking me if they can get on their electronics from sun up to sun down. They took it to heart and were so sweet about completing everything on the list for the rest of the afternoon.
Things have been pretty quiet. I am enjoying our lit up tree and our stockings hung by the fireplace as I type this. I wish this week didn't have to end. It has been so peaceful.
I was beginning to feel as if my life was on repeat. Run here, run there, eat, sleep, repeat. It was so refreshing to take a break from the daily race life has become and enjoy some downtime together. I am thankful for this family of mine! I am thankful that Brian helped Katie with the dishes today and listened to her read five books. I love to do those things. But, sometimes it is nice when someone else does those things.
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