We put up some pictures and then went to Home Depot and bought a couple of plants. The house is coming together. However, once one thing is finished it seems that another thing to do arises. It’s as if the house will never be finished.
For lunch, we decided to ride our bikes to Creek Side Taco.
It was a nice, short ride, and we sat outside in the beach area. Once we were home, the rest of the day was spent continuing to sort out our house.
Monday was an in-service day. We went to school with the idea that we would most likely go online for at least a few weeks. An emergency board meeting had been requested and not granted the prior week. I suppose when the board caught wind that 600 teachers were due to call in sick, they decided a meeting would be held that evening. It turned out that the board voted to be virtual for the first two weeks, at least. This decision being made at 9 pm on Monday night, with kids due to come back on Tuesday, made it quite challenging for some families, as you would guess.
Tuesday my teammates and I spent the day getting prepared for online learning. I took Millie to gymnastics and then took Jack to try out for a new basketball team called the Gremlins. It was an amazing practice. They ran and did drills the entire time. He came out sweating like a pig and he loved every minute of it. We were hopeful the Gremlins would like him and have a spot for him in the spring season.
Wednesday the nation took a dive. The new president elect was supposed to be confirmed. However, that was delayed because of a storming of the Capitol building. It was sad and scary to see our nation’s Capitol being attacked and our meeting democracy being in danger. I have my opinion about how it was handled, but anyone reading this, including my kids in a few years, will need to ask me if they really want to know.
Jack went for another practice and it happened to be at my brother’s old gym. I clearly parked in a place that really wasn’t a parking space. Oops! As you can see, I ran my car over a curb and had to have to towed out. Fortunately, there was no damage.
Thursday I got a message from Sue that she and Tim had tested positive for Covid and they really weren’t feeling well. I was so happy to be able to go to the store to get some vitamins and electrolytes for them. When we were all sick they brought us an amazing tray of burritos and even had a cheese quesadilla for Millie because Sue knew Millie most likely wouldn’t eat a burrito. This Covid thing is out of control and doesn’t seem to be doing anything but rising. The vaccine is coming, thank goodness.
Stuart took Jack to basketball while Millie fussed at me about going to bed, as is the case these days. We take one step forward and several steps back, it seems. Then Friday there was a lot of fussing from Millie over brushing teeth, yet again. It ended up that she was grounding from playing outside after school with the neighbors.
Friday, school was fine, but everyone is on edge, unfortunately. I felt quite accomplished as I learned a new trick in Google Classroom which is called Breakout Rooms. I also shared my new talent on the ukulele. I got home from school, after going to the store to get Jack supplies for his science project which he was doing with a friend in his class, on Saturday at our house.
I took Millie to gymnastics. Yes, I realize Friday nights are not the ideal gymnastics night, but she has moved up to the next class, preteen competitive team, and the Wednesday class has a waiting list. To be honest, since it’s now a 2 hour class, it’s probably best it’s on a Friday night so she can sleep in on Saturdays. That kid is convinced that her friends go to bed later than she does, which they probably do. However, she doesn’t remember that they also get to sleep later than she does. It’s hard for her to understand, sadly. When we got home and the kids went to bed while Stuart and I watched our beloved crime show.
Saturday morning I was awaken by the dogs at 5:30 am. I can’t wait until they are no longer babies. Ha! I took Jack to his basketball games at 7:30. He was asked to play with the 5/6 grade team, which he likes a lot more than the 6th grade team. They play together better than his 6th grade team. He had three games Saturday morning. Stuart joined us at the gym and then I took Millie to one of her many make-up gymnastic classes. When we got home the kids played outside for a while. Stuart and I made the beds and did some things around the house. The kids came in and did their chores. Then Jack’s classmate, Grant, came over. The experiment they had to do took a bit longer than was originally thought. Grant ended up eating dinner with us and then I took him home.
Sunday morning we were up and cleaning the house. I spoke to Cathy who was preparing for a heart surgery to fix a leaky valve. She just can’t catch a break. Ken and Maytee came over around 11 am and then Maytee left to sing at church at 2:30 pm, but Ken hung out for another couple of hours. After Ken left we went to our neighbors to sit around their fire pit. It was nice to get acquainted with them.
Monday morning I took Jack with me to school and Millie went with Stuart. We decided we would divide and conquer. They are just too silly when they are together. I was informed that Jack would be able to be a practice player for the Gremlins until the spring season started at the end of February. So he will go to their practices, but will still play with his other team.
Monday after school we went to get Jack’s hair cut. When we got home, I saw our bathroom was starting to take shape and we were hopeful it would be completed by the end of the week.
Our pool was also finished being dug. Of course, when a pool is dug, there should be rain to make everything more interesting.
So much for having a yard. It’s all pool us.
Tuesday both kids came with me to school. I took Millie to gymnastics and while she was at the gym, I took Jack to get some food. Stuart met us for taco Tuesday and then picked Millie up. This was after Stuart had gone to my mom and dad’s to tidy up their yard before they were due back on Friday. He also picked up a bag from Home Depot to put on our drive. I missed the part where we were to remove the pomegranate and citrus tree from our backyard before the pool guy was to start his job. So we basically had Wednesday after school to do that job.
Wednesday it was just Jack that came with me to school. I learned a new song on my ukulele, which was fun and school was pretty much the same. Jack had a scrimmage with his new team. While he scrimmaged, I watched the board meeting where it was decided we would go back in person the Tuesday after MLK Day.
I left school early on Thursday in order to get my first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine. Stuart got his as well. The process was amazingly organized. I also went with Jack to basketball and spoke to Coach Rodger about Jack moving to a different club. Coach Rodger said he wished I had expressed our dissatisfaction of the things that were going on. I told him I had sent him messages and it just wasn’t changing to our satisfaction. It wasn’t a comfortable situation, but it had to be done.
Friday Grammie and Pop got back to Arizona. I felt horrible after my vaccine, but we had been told this could be the case. Grammie and Pop came over and saw our house. Our contractor had put in the top of the vanity. It’s so pretty! We also picked out paint for our bathroom and think we may very well also put it in our bedroom. It’s all exciting at this stage.
Saturday Jack had a game and they lost, again. Once the game was over, we went home. Stuart and I went to Costco to do some shopping. When we got home, we found that Millie had ridden her bike down to Grammie and Pop’s, so we went down to their house for a few hours in the afternoon. We got home and finished our chores for the afternoon. Later in the day, Millie wouldn’t take her medication and was beyond hateful to us. When will this end? I wish I knew. In the evening, Ken and Maytee came over after church. It’s always good to spend time with them. Since our pool has started, and there is dirt everywhere, it’s hard for us to leave the dogs on the weekend, so we have had them over more often lately.
Sunday I was up early with the puppies. This seems to be a habit these days. They are now sleeping on their beds in our room, rather than being crated in our room. They do fairly well, but are my new weekend alarm clock for sure. I started painting the bathroom in preparation for the mirrors and back splash being put in. Stuart tidied the garage and moved things around a bit. My mom came over and used her sharpie markers to try to tidy up our kitchen cabinets. It was actually quite clever. We needed to get a new sharpie, but she said she would be back during the week to finish them up.
We decided to join Vicki and Ryan at Zoo Lights. It wasn’t as good as I had remembered, but it was something to do, I suppose. Millie was miserable and the child that everyone looked at as if she were being a total brat. I will assure you of this, I will NEVER judge a parent again after having this little one. There are things she has said to me that I would have never thought I would have handled well. However, as we try to sort out her challenges, the counselor has told us that arguing with her will just backfire, which I can totally see. In the meantime, people look at me as if I should control her. Trust me, if I could I would. It’s frustrating, but I know we are doing our best to do right by her, regardless of how others view it.
We went to Chili’s to get something to eat after Zoo Lights. Jack went for a sleepover at Gavin’s since the following day we had a day off. We got home and Millie took a shower and went to bed. Stuart and I stayed up to watch some television. I stayed up later than Stuart did, as I often do.
Monday morning I was up early, as usual. I laid around in my jammies for a while. Stuart went to pick Jack up from Gavin’s and brought him home. Debi and her boys came over around 11 am. Debi brought Pei Wei for herself and me, and I made chicken nuggets and French fries for the kids. They all played so nicely upstairs. In fact, they had so much fun that the Duvall’s stayed and had pizza with us for dinner. It was so fun.
Tuesday I was terribly uninspired to go to school. The kids were coming back and I think people were a bit nervous. Since Arizona has been deemed having the highest infection rate, with more kid cases than before, it was concerning. I hate online teaching, but I wasn’t convinced in-person was the right answer either. But I am a rule follower and was going to do what I was told.
Tuesday after school, Stuart took Millie to gymnastics, took Jack for some food before he went to Gremlin practice, while I had a Dibels training for school. My class ended early so I met up with Stuart and Jack. I then picked Millie up from gymnastics. Stuart took Jack to the Gremlins practice and then Jack decided he didn’t want to go to Reach practice. We suspected he wouldn’t be able to keep up the double training and had decided we would tell him he didn’t have to go to both anymore. He also had hurt his knee a week back and probably needed to rest.
Wednesday at school we watched the inauguration. We were directed to keep our own political views out of any conversation. It was definitely a historic day as this was the first woman to be sworn in as the Vice President, and she is a woman of color. It was an epic day. And as a supporter of President Biden, there was a hopefulness I felt as I watched the ceremony. I know not everyone felt this way, but I certainly did.
Wednesday evening my mo and I went to Floor and Decor
To pick out our flooring for the kids’ bathroom. We then went to Tuesday Morning and did a bit of shopping. Stuart and I had decided to give Jack a break from Gremlin practice. It was a late one and he was not up for it. I told him this was a one time pass, and he said he understood. So we were all homeWednesday evening, which is rare for sure. We seem to always be going somewhere.
The kids and I played I Spy Bingo.
Thursday at school I prepared for my substitute on Monday. That was the day of my eye specialist appointment. The days seem to pass and there isn’t anything terribly inspirational at this time in our lives. It can make me sad from time to time. However, I know this too shall pass. I also continued to work on getting a vaccine appointment for my mom and dad, but had no success. When we got home from school, the kids played outside with the neighbors. Stuart then took Jack to practice with Reach. Stuart went to get our shower door from Lowe’s and then returned to pick Jack up. Jack was asked to play in the final game of the 5th/6th development team championship. It was on Friday at 9 pm. He was excited. We decided that after that game he would be finished with Reach.
Friday at school we watched A Bug’s Life. We had read a story about ants and was able to tie in the movie. It was a stretch, but the kids loved it. After school I did some grocery shopping to get some items Millie’s teacher. She needed the items for the Valentine party they would have in a few weeks. Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and I took Jack to his game. We picked up Grammie and Pop just after 8 pm and headed to Chandler. The game was epic. Jack played really well. In the end, he scored the winning shot with 2 seconds left in the third overtime. He was on cloud nine and it was the best way for him to end his time with Reach.
It was a game to remember and he got a t-shirt, which was a bonus.
On Saturday, I woke up and left the dogs out. It was raining, so the mud came back in the house. Stuart and I went to the store and left the kids home to do their chores. Once we returned, we surprised Millie by taking her to Postino’s in downtown Gilbert. Her teacher is a hostess there and we knew she would love to see her at her job. The food was amazing.
Sweet potato wedges were a hit. We sat outside, and of course, the heater by us kept getting blown out, so it was a bit chilly.
After lunch we went home and I headed out to get some sugar to finish my dessert for our dinner at the Reynold house that evening. I also was out on searching for a gift for Jack’s crush at school. I couldn’t decide how I felt about him giving a gift to a girl for Valentine’s Day. So I decided to ask his teacher, Heather Tawney, if this was a girl that was sweet. She advised me to have Jack use his own money and let him get her a gift. He picked out a cute little heart necklace. I’m not ready for him to grow up, but I do think it’s sweet he is thoughtful enough to even think about buying a gift, with his own money, for someone else.
Once I returned from the store, I showered, finished my
dessert and we left for Jeff and Melinda’s. Jack was able to tell Brady of his victory the night before, and Millie played with Dayton, Melinda’s grand daughter. She is adorable. Riley and Nick are living with them for a while. It’s a busy house for sure. We sat out by the fire pit after dinner, but it started raining again, so we came back inside and then decided to call it a night.
Sunday we were awaken by a dog peeing in our bathroom. At least she knew where to go. I took the dogs downstairs and decided to watch television. It was just after 6 am. It hadn’t started raining yet, but did shortly after 7 am. It really came down hard. I didn’t think much of it, until the dogs went through the dog door and didn’t come back for a bit. When I looked outside, they were playing in the mud pool. Oh goodness me. They had caked on mud on their feet. I got them to go back outside and did my best to wipe their feet. Oh, how I love puppies, pools, rain, mud, and all of those entering my house. I somewhat cleaned up their feet and decided we would have to kind of guess when they needed to go to the bathroom and take them out at those times. Sadly, we knew it was supposed to rain all week.
Vicki, her mom, Gavin and Maddax came over late in the morning. Our original plan was to go to Sedona this day, but it was there was a weather advisory that said travel up north wasn’t a good idea as they were to get snow. We wanted to take the kids sledding, but it’s tough to do that with much fun when it’s still snowing. We want snow, but would rather go just after it has snowed. We are still hopeful to do that at some stage this winter, it just wasn’t this particular Sunday. Vicki and her mom stayed for a few hours, and then left the boys to play for another couple of hours.
It rained off and on most of the day. And then, as Vicki was picking up her boys, the most beautiful rainbow was in the sky.
This picture really didn’t do it justice. The rest of the evening was totally chilled. I took a shower in my new shower, which was lush. I will take pictures as soon as it is all finished. I do love my new shower tower.
Monday I didn’t go to school. I had my eye appointment to determine what was going on with my eye sight. It rained all day, which, again, added a bonus to our remodel fun! I got to my eye appointment after a trip to Goodwill. My appointment was at 2 pm, but of course I didn’t see anyone until nearly 2:20 pm. After a few tests, it was determined that I would come back a month later to see the progress. The doctor told me it was all stress related and getting eye vitamins could help it all. I’m sure not stressing could also help. However, I have no idea how to destress, considering I didn’t know I was a stressful person.
My debit card wouldn’t register and it came time for me to be home for Millie’s counseling appointment. I was a bit irritated and finally told the receptionist that she would need to call me the next day if the card didn’t run through as I HAD to go. It was still raining, my eyes were dilated and I was running late. So of course I ran into the back of a truck at the first stop light I came to. I got out of the car, as did the man I ran in to. Bless his heart, he looked at my car and said, ‘Wow, you have damage but I really don’t.’ I apologized profusely and he finally said, ‘I don’t need to call the police if you don’t’. So that was that. What a relief that was.
I got home for Millie’s appointment and then later in the afternoon I took Jack to basketball. On the way to the gym, I decided since Human Growth and Development was coming up for Jack at school, I would talk to him about what was going to be said. I only told him facts and the information in the videos the district was going to show. Needless to say, he didn’t handle it very well. It all scared him and he cried when we got to the gym. He said he didn’t want to go to practice and that he just wanted to stay with me. Oh, he is my son. The first real kiss I had was when I was 16 years old and I cried because it scared me. I made him get out of the car. Clearly, the conversation was good timing on my part.
Tuesday it was cold, but I put on decent school clothes and tried to act like I wanted to go to work. I really thought it would help, but it didn’t seem to much. This year has been a struggle, to say the least. I am not thrilled about the job I am doing, but I am grateful to have a job. This being my 29th year in education, I was hoping to be a principal, or at least in administration. I suppose 7 years out of the country hasn’t helped get me to a position I was hoping for. I do feel that if I don’t get to an administration job soon, I will be too old to hire, which absolutely bums me out. We shall see what this spring brings.
After school, Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and i picked Jack up from school. I spoke to the Kids Express lady, as Jack had an incident the previous Thursday at the after school club. She said the other child involved is mouthy like Jack and his mother just wanted to forget about it. Had it been written up and reported, officially, both kids would run the risk of being excluded from the after school program. Since the other child’s mom works for Chandler Schools as well, she can’t afford to lose after school child care either.
Later in the evening, I took Jack to basketball. Grammie and Pop tagged along as well. He practiced at a charter school and we were allowed to go in and watch. They scrimmaged with the 13u team for the first hour of practice. Jack seemed a bit nervous because Grammie and Pop were there, but he was glad they were able to go and watch.
Wednesday it wasn’t as cold as it had been on Monday and Tuesday. At the end of the day it was warmer, but the morning was freezing and we couldn’t decide on what to do with our dogs. Rain and digging pools doesn’t mix at all. In the end, we decided they would just have to get over it and be cold. We stuck them in the borrowed dog cage and left for the day. After school I met Sue at Joe’s Farm Grill for a good catch up. She told me that she was going to get to start walking again. So we decided on Wednesdays after school. The catch-up with her was so good. We didn’t stop taking for nearly 2 hours.
That evening, I took Jack to basketball, which was from 8-9 pm. It’s a little later than we like, but I think this is our life for now. I do know we want to provide him with all the opportunities possible. Sometimes, I realize that may inconvenience us. However, I want to give him the chance to be a part of a team and a tribe. We are hoping they will change the late practice time as time goes on. At the end of the practice, Jack messaged me. I told him I had parked down by the parking place I had to be towed out of a few weeks back. That sassy boy asked me if I had parked in the same place again. He’s a funny one!
Thursday after school we were free as birds. It’s our one day where we don’t have to run kids all over the east valley. Millie was grounded so she wasn’t able to go outside the house. She had lied to us the previous evening when she went to play with her friends, having not completed her homework, yet telling us she had. Oops! She went with Stuart and myself to get paint for the kids’ bathroom. When we got home, Millie and I took something down to my mom and dad’s. It was then that Grammie and Pop decided they would come and paint our bathrooms on Saturday while we were at the vaccine event at Perry High School.
Friday at the end of the school day, I felt we had been there for three weeks. It seemed to be the longest week ever, and I hadn’t even been there for one of the days. After school, I headed home and then took Millie to gymnastics. While she flipped over bars, I went to my friend Susan’s and met up with two other Bunco Babes, Marty and Brenda. We were able to hang out for nearly two hours. It was so fun to have a good catch-up. When Millie and I got home, it was discovered that Millie had nothing taken her medicine. I don’t want to blame her behavior on the fact that she didn’t take her medication, but I don’t think it helps.
Saturday morning we were up and out of the house just after 7:30 am. We had decided we would volunteer at the vaccine distribution event that was taking place at Perry High School. It was actually quite fun and fulfilling. We also saw some people we hadn’t seen in quite some time. We also got the email that let us book our second shot for the vaccine.
After our shift at the school, we went to get a bite to eat. Grammie and Pop were at our house, so the kids were fine. We got home to clean, and touched up cabinets, as well as two painted bathrooms. 
Should I really let me 82 year old dad paint our bathroom? I think I did!
The base boards still needed to be painted, but that was relatively easy. The rest of the day and evening was spent watching our favorite crime shows. Millie had difficulty going to bed. Again, we forgot her meds, which prompted me to set a daily alarm as not to have anymore meltdowns from her. We really can’t hold her too accountable when we don’t give her the correct ‘tools’, as in medication. We will get our lives sorted out one of these days.
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