Store Nights and Holidays

I said I was determined to blog more, and then about four hours after making that proclamation I was the proud recipient of a stomach bug, and you know what they say about "best laid plans"...

Wednesday night the kids had store night at AWANA. AWANA is a program at our church that I never knew existed until a few years ago. I love it. It rewards the kids for learning scripture. (They also have recreation time and a small group counsel time). They earn "AWANA bucks" (think Monopoly money) and can spend it at store night which takes place about once every 6 weeks or so. One room in the church is set up like a store and they can spend their money on anything they want. It didn't take long for our kids to realize they could spend that money to buy us gifts, and it surprises me every single time they bring something home for me. It makes me thoroughly excited to find out what they decided I needed most!!

Hunter has been known to buy me jewelry that says "BFF" and makeup brushes. Brianna likes to buy me body spray and nail polish. They both frequently give me hand lotion, and I think their favorite thing is when they find funky socks they can buy for me! This past Wednesday they were both jumping up and down to give them their surprises. Brianna bought me a package of Valentine's Tootsie Rolls (one of my favorite candies!) and a very cool new pair of Valentine's socks! Then Hunter started laughing and handed over his gifts for me - more candy and another (different) pair of Valentine's socks! They know me so well!

Sometimes they will grab a jump rope for a friend at church who isn't in AWANA, or some coloring books or crayons for one of their friends in the toddler class. I can count on Hunter to come home with some type of Lego or Transformer toy, and Bri will always come home with some self-care item. This week it was a cooling eye-mask you can keep in the refrigerator. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to alleviate the bags under your eyes, but I love that she loves it.

They fill our stockings at Christmas with these items. They're so excited for us to open the stockings on Christmas morning and see what surprises they were able to get us. It's such a simple thing but it makes me so happy to see them so happy. I remember the thrill I got when I was a little kid and I could find some way to surprise my parents. My mom's best friend, Gail, started taking me shopping when I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I didn't think it was fair for mom and dad to have empty stockings on Christmas morning, so we'd go out together and get things to put in their stockings. I don't even remember the type of items I'd get, but if I had to guess it would look a lot like hand lotion... candy... funny socks... trinkets. It's so funny how you can see yourself in your kids sometimes.

It makes me smile when I know it IS possible for them to look outside of themselves every so often. These are the little things I don't want to forget about my kiddos. Sometimes the "big" stuff can take over - the athletic tournaments, the big test at the end of the school year, the major vacations - but this is the stuff that makes my heart happy just on an average day.

Fleeting Thoughts After Midnight

I miss the days when I used to blog regularly. My memory isn't that great, so when I can look back at stories, pictures, and videos on my blog, it really helps me remember what I was feeling during certain phases of my life. I think this is a great time to try to blog again, because I want to remember this phase. I want to remember that I can do hard things!

About nine months ago I took a teaching gig, teaching English to kids in China. I was excited about it, even though it meant waking up to teach at 6:40 a.m. (Mornings have NEVER been a friend of mine!) When the time changed back in the fall, I remember telling Stephen I couldn't possibly get up to teach the new 5:30 a.m. classes! But I was determined, and once I started, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It's funny now, looking back on that, because...

Now we are in the middle of a health crisis in China. The Coronavirus has struck tens of thousands of people. Families are quarantined in their homes. Schools are not in session. Today we saw that over 1000 people have died from the virus. It's a very serious situation. Due to the children not being allowed to go to school, our company added on extra classes for these kids. And because I am very highly motivated by money and helping out in their time of need, I am GOING FOR IT! Now that I look back and think about how hard it was to get used to teaching at 6:40 a.m., I laugh to myself! I thought I would share here what a typical day looks like for me in this season.

I start teaching at 6:50 p.m. when I can. Wednesday nights and Sunday nights I don't do this because of church commitments. I usually stop teaching around 8:00pm so I can fix dinner as everyone is getting home from afternoon activities. I try not to teach again until 8:50 or 9:30 p.m. so I can at least hang out with everyone a little bit (particularly Stephen since I've been with the kids all day anyway!) And sometimes I can't start until these later times anyway, because I'm responsible for getting a kid to or from their activity.

I have a break at 11:30 p.m. No classes are scheduled from this time until 12:30 a.m. so this is when I take a shower, brush teeth, etc. Basically I do my entire routine to get ready for bed so I'm ready to sleep when I'm done teaching. I usually finish this by midnight so I have time to sit down and read, or just watch some short videos or something to relax. Nothing too stimulating for my brain during this time period - I just want to relax!

At 12:30 a.m. classes start back up. I teach until 3:40 a.m. At this time there are no other classes scheduled until 4:50 a.m., so I try to sleep. I usually get in 45 minutes or so before my alarm goes off. I'm pretty hyped up after doing so many classes in a row, so it can be hard to wind down! Once I start teaching at 4:50 a.m. I'm not done until 8:00 a.m. At this time I'm completely done until the evening, so I can SLEEP!

Most days I am able to sleep until 9:30 a.m. We do have a soup kitchen we work at, we have play dates that are scheduled, geography classes at the library, co-op, etc. If I can sleep until 9:30 I can make it through our scheduled activities without any issues. After lunch is done the kids know I may play a handful of games with them or read a book with them, but then I'm going to have to take a nap. I usually try to sleep from about 1:30 to 3:30. If at all possible, I prefer to take a nap later in the day. For example, tonight I was able to nap from 5:30pm to 7:00pm and that should serve me well in these midnight hours!

I've definitely gotten in a routine. This routine isn't forever. The kids are supposed to be quarantined for about another 2-3 weeks and then life will return to normal. So I'm embracing this right now. What exactly does that mean? I'm not helping my kids with schoolwork as much. They are on their own - they know I will check their work and they save things for me if they have questions, but I am not sitting down to do it all with them right now. It means I have to say no to some stuff. We're spending more time at home in February so I can do this schedule and get some sleep so I'm safe while driving the kids around.

Now, the job is flexible. So I can cancel classes in order to cook dinner, go to a hockey game with friends, or meet up with friends who are in town from Florida. I love that flexibility. I also like that I can work 35-40 hours a week if I want to and not feel guilty about it. I'm still getting in plenty of quality time with my kiddos, and they're also learning those valuable skills called "independence" and "entertain yourselves QUIETLY FOR PETE'S SAKE"!

I'm wearing other hats and this doesn't get in the way at all. I don't schedule 12:30 - 3:30am classes on Wednesdays, only the 4:50-8:00 am classes. I want to be fresh for teaching preschoolers at co-op. I am able to work on that lesson in between classes. I can work on my Sunday school lesson, AWANA lesson, and Children in Action lesson for church in between classes. I can work on Rodan + Fields and place orders. I can do laundry and dishes and organize parts of the house that won't wake anyone up.

I've always kind of been a night owl, so it doesn't surprise me that I've acclimated to this schedule fairly quickly. I do know that it's also because my family is INCREDIBLY supportive. My kids are old enough to take care of themselves and I don't have to worry about what they are doing while I'm sleeping.

What was really tough was when Brianna got sick not once, but twice, while Stephen was TDY and I was working these hours. Fortunately, I was able to cancel classes to take care of her, but I was a major walking zombie the first 12 hours she was sick because I hadn't slept at all and then I was up with her. But hey, that's part of life.

I feel really blessed to have a part-time job like this. The kids I teach are phenomenal and they are so funny. They are smart and want to learn. The pay is great and the hours work with my schedule. Sometimes Brianna comes into my office and lays on the floor, curled up with her pillow and blanket, and listens in on my classes, and then afterwards we laugh about the kid named "Dudu" or how Billy demanded that I call him "Spiderman" or we "ooh" and "ahh" over the art the kids show me.

When I first started working nights it was really hard on Bri. She is a big snuggler and she didn't appreciate the fact that I would be working during her prime time for snuggling! I promised her this is just a season, and I have found ways to get in that snuggle time with her in between classes, or during the day, or if a class of mine gets canceled at the last minute. I've told her and Hunter this, and I hope they realize it - I do this for them. I want them to see that I work hard. I want them to see that you can do all the things that you are passionate about. God will work those things out for you. God gives you these awesome desires in your heart and then He brings them to fruition in ways you never would have imagined.

So while you may notice my dark circles more in February, or I may repeat things in conversations we have, it's all worth it to me. I feel so happy and so blessed to do what I do, and not give up homeschooling, or church activities, or miss out on things with my family. Life is pretty darn good right now.

Scout Spring Camping Trip 2018

It's been a LOOOOOOOONG time since I did a real "life" post. I keep telling myself I want to sit down and journal more, but I don't set aside the time. I'm determined to do this more often because although I'd prefer a handwritten journal, this is going to be much faster for me, and I love posting pictures and videos along with my reactions. I want the kids to be able to look back at these posts in a few years and revive these memories.

Last October was Hunter's first ever camping trip with Cub Scouts. Brianna and I stayed at home and let the boys have their boy time, but the truth is, I really love camping, and Bri loved the idea of it as well, so when the spring campout came around, I was determined for our whole family to go. I'm so glad we did! We had the best time! It was the first time I had been camping in probably 15 years, and obviously I had never been with the entire family, so it was a really awesome experience.

Here we go!

Within minutes of setting up, the kids were off in the woods, blazing trails and already creating games. The parents kind of looked at each other, not knowing what to do with our free time. It didn't take us long to figure out we just needed to pull up our chairs, grab a drink, and start getting to know one another with no worries of what our kids were doing.

Ahhh, this is the life! We should go camping more often!

The first evening was really just spent that same way - adults just hanging out, getting camp set up, and kids exploring throughout the acres of camp. Due to us being at a scout camp, we felt pretty confident that there wasn't much trouble they could get into. They were reminded to stay within earshot of the camp site, and I'm pleased to announce we had no issues of kids running off and getting lost (that I know of - but doing a head count wasn't up to me - just kidding!) There were probably 40 or 50 kids, and plenty of acres to occupy their different games and activities.

Once it got dark, we broke out the bonfire. All kids were required to have a flashlight or headlamp, so they could sit by the fire and relax, or continue playing in the woods. It didn't take me long to become comfortable with my 7 and 9-year old kiddos freely running through the dark woods with just a headlamp on. At some point you just have to turn the "what-if" part of your brain off.

It didn't take long for Bri and this young man, Lucas, to become friends, much to Stephen's chagrin. Haha!

Why is my child wearing sunglasses at night? The world will never know...

At 10:00, it was lights out, so we started getting ourselves ready for bed. We knew the next day would be a long one, and we wanted to get plenty of sleep.

Either someone's really excited, or the flash surprised her

After a good night's sleep, we woke up early to the Bears cooking a great breakfast! Pancakes, sausage, and fruit were our fuel for the day.

Bri with her 2 other "musketeers" - "T" and Lucas. You'll notice them in most of the pictures with her.

Getting ready for morning routine which includes the flag ceremony and laying out the plan for the day

After the flag ceremony, we were told for all the younger scouts under Webelo rank it was time to go bouldering. As you can imagine, this excited our kids GREATLY. They love rock climbing, rappelling and bouldering, so this was right up their alley!

After about an hour and a half of this (Brianna and Hunter climbed the walls more than any other kid - probably a dozen or more times), we headed back to camp. It was almost lunchtime, so we actually headed to the truck and left camp while everyone else was eating lunch. We headed back to Warner Robins for Hunter's soccer game! So as if he wasn't already worn out enough from playing and bouldering all morning, now he had a soccer game in the mid-day heat! But he rocked it, as usual, and the Broncos continue their undefeated season!

The camp we stayed at was Ottawa - right in between Cherokee and Natchez camps.

When we got back, the Tigers (that's Hunter's den) were working on some belt loop achievements. We went to find them and they were doing artwork with nature. These may be kind of hard to see, but these are some of their creations:

Bri's was also a stick figure portrait

After the boys were done with their artwork, we headed to a nearby field to play a game. It was up to the kiddos to create a game, and we would play kids vs. adults. They ended up creating some mixture of kickball and soccer, where the adults couldn't do ANYTHING but kick the ball, and kids could do absolutely anything they wanted! I'm pretty sure this game was rigged from the beginning! It was actually a ton of fun and I quickly regretted going for a mile-long run earlier that morning, as one of the kids singled me out and I had to run fast and furious multiple times to get away with my pride intact! At the end of the day it was a great game, and we had an awesome time playing with some great kids.

Soon after that, it was time for "saber wars" which meant the kids created their own light sabers out of pool noodles. It was time for battle! The kids went crazy with the pool noodles in a setting with no time limit and no rules. It was very interesting! After a while we stopped them and had them get ready for Crack the Crackers, or something like that. Basically each kid got saltine crackers taped to their shirt sleeves and sides of pants, and that's what you aim for on everyone else. Whoever is the last man standing with no cracked crackers is the winner!

Making the trek back to camp

After a full afternoon of running and games, we headed back to camp. I think about 3% of the campers took this opportunity to sit down in a chair and relax. The other 97% realized they had some free time, and took off to the woods again. It was so funny to hear some of the games these kids came up with. One night someone was Jesse James and the cops were coming to get him. One kid played an entire hockey game with a stick and a pinecone, while another boy was the commentator for the game. They played football and frisbee, and discovered every possible trail throughout the woods. They played Red Rover a lot, but I think cops and robbers was the main game I heard them play.

We did pull them all back together after a while for a couple of rounds of Tug of War - and the adults got in on it at the end!



Here's Bri's team winning:




 And here's Hunter's team winning:



It wasn't long until it was time for dinner - pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, and peach cobbler in a Dutch oven! I'm telling you, I could get used to this camping stuff.

After dinner, the kids played for so long they didn't even ask for smores until about 9:30. We were going to offer them around 8:00, but they were having such a great time, and no kid was talking about dessert, we figured we would let it ride!




Eventually it was time for bed. I know the kids didn't really want to go to bed, but at the same time they were worn out from the day's events. Tigers (Hunter's den) were responsible for breakfast, so that meant early rising for those kids!

Serving breakfast like champs!

Clean up duty means getting in a line and checking every square inch of our camp site after church. Leave no trace!

Time to go home - I was trying to get a picture of just how dirty he was, but it didn't come through here!



The kiddos together and the kids telling scary stories around the campfire (Bri is being her typical motherly self here)



But the adults had it the roughest of all....




Great success, and thank you to all of WR Pack 422! It's been a great year!

Thursday Thoughts

Another Thursday here and gone. This morning we were off to work bright and early, ready to see our young friends at Sandhills PCA. We had just four kids today, so we had a lot of fun with them. Brianna and Hunter are so helpful with the babies. I really don't think I could get through a lot of those work days without their help. And I'm ever so grateful on these days that God chose to bless me with two individual children, and no multiples!!

This afternoon I found out that Brianna started reading a new series. It is about a dog named Wishbone who travels in time and goes through classic novels, retelling them in a fun way for kids. She read Jack and the Beanstalk.

She came downstairs, so excited about this book, and telling me all about it, when I realized that when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I loved to watch the TV show of Wishbone! The kids had finished all their school work and chores, so that meant they were allowed to have electronic time. I hopped on YouTube and found the entire first episode of Wishbone, which went through the story of Tom Sawyer. They absolutely loved it. I think as we read through these books we will definitely watch the TV show that coincides.

After dinner we made a fire, which always means we roast marshmallows. The kids helped pile up sticks and limbs, and then played while Stephen controlled the fire. Then we got down to business eating marshmallows.

In one of those pictures you see the kids in a ditch in our woods. At our last family dinner night, that ditch was named "Four Cousins" by Brianna, Hunter, and (you guessed it) their two cousins. So when I came outside after cleaning up from dinner, I couldn't see Bri, and I asked where she was. She came running out of the woods, limbs in both hands, yelling, "I was at the Four Cousins! You couldn't even find me, could you, Mom?" They think it is the coolest thing ever.

Brianna's hair is in about a dozen tiny little braids tonight. She wants her hair to be fancy because our cousin Shannon is getting married tomorrow. Bri has a big part in the wedding (in her mind) because she gets to open the door for Shannon to walk out with her dad. She has her fanciest dress set out and she is ready to go!