Grammie and Pop came over around 3:30 and played in the pool for a while. The kids love it when they come down and play.
Pop shooting on the new goal.
Little Millie with her Little Grammie.
Russ and Julie came over after they got home from San Diego. Stuart grilled burgers and brats. We sat around for a bit and just shot the breeze. The extended family went home around 7 pm and Stuart and I sat on the back patio. Fireworks started just before dark. It was amazing. The kids bartered for an 11 pm bedtime.
This was our backyard. I was so thrilled that we had not spent any money on fireworks, but thrilled that our neighbors had done so. It was a fun evening and the kids loved the firework display. However, the dogs weren’t as crazy about the noise.
Monday morning I laid in bed until almost 9 am. I had decided to do a little bit of a reset for my diet, which is always fun. My theory was if I stayed in bed longer, the day would go faster and I wouldn’t think as much about food. It really never works that way.
In the early afternoon we headed out to visit Mary and Mack. We stayed for a couple of hours. Mack and Stuart took the kids to feed the fish in the pond. Mary sent us home with eggs and tomatoes, as she often does. Once we were home, we chilled for the rest of the day. Millie threw a fit for some odd reason, but immediately came to apologize to me. It was good to know she was actually making progress.
Tuesday morning I got up and asked Millie if her throat was better. She had complained the previous evening so I wanted to make sure she was better. She told me her throat was okay, which was a relief. With the new Covid variant in full force, I don’t think we can be too careful. We met my friend, Anna and her kids at Fat Cats for bowling and mini golf.
After we left Fat Cats we stopped at Circle K for a slushie and then headed to get haircuts for both kids. Jack had decided he wanted his ‘mullet’ cut off and Millie decided she wanted a bob!
Her original hair before the cut.
She looks so grown up to me.
Mullet!
Ah, better!
We got home and relaxed. I then got ready to go to dinner with Jennifer and go see Steel Magnolias at Hale Theater in Gilbert. While Jennifer and I ate, we watched the Suns game. Jack went to Grammie and Pop’s as he has since the playoffs began.
The Hale Theater in downtown Gilbert is a really quaint venue. The play was fantastic, as was the company.
Wednesday I got up and walked with Sue. She informed me that Tim had been called back to work. I know they have been waiting for this for well over a year. It’s so good that things are looking up for everyone. After our walk, I went to WinCo to get some groceries. When I got home Stuart was speaking with his mother. I was so pleased when both Millie and Jack got on to speak with her. Jack spoke for quite some time. I know that always makes her happy.
We decided to take the kids to the cinema. We went to see Boss Baby:The Family Business. It was really cute. Once we were back at the house, Ryan and Vicki came over to swim. They stayed for quite some time.
Thursday we went to Ryan and Vicki’s in the afternoon. We watched the Suns’ game and then left Jack for a sleepover. Millie wasn’t thrilled to be coming home with us, but one day she will be Jack’s age and have the same privileges.
Friday we got up and went to collect Jack at 11 am to meet our friend Brian for lunch. We hadn’t seen him since we returned to the valley in March of 2020. He is one of the ministers that performed our wedding ceremony. He and I have been friends for nearly 30 years. After lunch, we shopped in San Tan Mall for a bit. We came home and Russ and Julie were in our pool. They stayed for a while and then left. The kids played HORSE with Stuart and then we all got out of the pool. Millie got upset at Jack and then we discovered the dogs had eaten the bottom of our family room sofa. I said ‘we are getting rid of these damn dogs’ which upset Millie. So she decided she would go live with Grammie and Pop. She was packed and I messaged Grammie and Pop to tell them to message me when they got home so I could send her down.
Who knows what was in that bag. She never even left the house. About the time the kids went to bed, a monsoon hit. It was epic. There were trees down and dirt flying everywhere. We lost electricity for a bit of time and the whole thing actually scared the kids. They have never been in such a storm that they can remember.
Saturday morning I went with Liz to look for fabric for curtains. We didn’t find any, sadly, but will search again at some stage. Stuart me us for lunch at the Sand Bar in Gilbert. Later in the day, Ken and Maytee came over with Lexi as Gigi was still in quarantine. She had contracted Covid at summer church camp. The kids swam while we visited. Maytee spent the night as she was singing at the Queen Creek church the following morning. Another monsoon hit in the night, but wasn’t as bad as the previous one.
Sunday morning I got up and started some laundry. I also went out to the pool to check the damage from the previous evening’s monsoon. We had a little frog swimming around in the pool. I saved his life and then finished dipping the pool. When Stuart was awake, I stripped our bed and washed the sheets from the guest bed as well as ours. Liz was staying at our house that evening because we were going to Scottsdale for a one night staycation.
I also got snacks and food ready for a cooler. Jack was supposed to go to training with Uncle Russ, but that was canceled because Russ and Julie needed to pick up Morgan at the airport and her plane was delayed. So we all got to go to the resort together. We were going with the Meyns. We headed to the resort around noon. We were able to use the facilities before our suites were ready. The kids had an absolute blast. Vicki’s cousin in law and her girls joined us for the day. Once we were finished with the resort, we headed to our rooms. We then took the kids to the pool just behind our rooms. We settled in for the Suns’ game, which didn’t result in a win. Bummer!
Our day at the water park.
Monday morning we got up and had donuts before heading back into the water park.
We fed the kids lunch at the park and then headed home. We unpacked and then just laid around, exhausted from the fun and sun, I assumed. Around 4:30 pm the Meyns came over for a dip in the pool. They stayed a couple of hours and then headed out as we were getting ready to eat dinner.
We had some delightful stuffed peppers I had picked up at Costco. Millie had macaroni and cheese, as usual. We have never had to worry whether Jack would eat what was made for dinner, but Millie is a totally different story, as I think I have written before.
Tuesday I went to my mom and dad’s to talk through their living trust with my sister in law, Julie, as we are the executors of their trust. They brought homemade ice cream down to our house to make. The kids had a swim while the ice cream was being made.
Wednesday was my first day of school. The summer went rather quickly, but it was a relaxing one for sure. It rained a lot on our first day. I came home quite exhausted, even though I did virtually nothing in the afternoon. I sorted out my room and put my things away because I had to move rooms at the end of last year.
Thursday I went to walk with Sue. We had to change our day of walking because of the rain on Wednesday. On the way back from walking, an undercover policeman flashed me. I started to pull over, but looked at him and he motioned for me to slow down. He then drove off and turned off his lights. Eek! That was a close one. I slowed down, to say the least. When I got home, I got ready for school. We had the majority of our day to work in our rooms. I made a stupid request from our admin assistant. She is a friend of Jen order’s and I knew she would tell Jennifer that I had just not read my email very carefully.
After school we decided we would go out to eat. We had received our bonus money from the school and decided to treat ourselves. We went to Uncle Bears. Sadly, my lemon chicken wasn’t quite cooked. 🤢 They remade it for me, but I ended up taking it home and never actually ate it. I’m always a bit put off by uncooked food and usually can’t eat it in the end. I ended up going to bed at 9:30, which is super early for me. Two days of work and I was exhausted.
I was awake at 5:30 am, because I had gone to bed at 9:30 pm, so decided to go downstairs. I made the coffee and then got ready for school. I spent the day backing my boards. I had a second year teacher ask me if I was finished with my room. She is in a similar program and was trying to be supportive, but ended up getting on my nerves. What I said to her was, ‘Nope, not finished, but this isn’t my first rodeo’. It might not have been the best response. I made the decision, that day, that I would be working for three more years and in the summer of 2024, I would retire from education and find something else to do. I just feel it is time.
Stuart took Jack to his orthodontist appointment in the morning. He then took the kids to Grammie and Pop’s for the rest of the afternoon. He came to have lunch with me and then did some shopping. I got home just after 4 o’clock. We then headed to the Barr’s for a cookout. Jack was spending the night with Jaxon, along with the other boys in their crew. We had smash burgers for dinner, and then Stuart decided he needed a Blackstone grill. We had a lovely evening.
Saturday morning we took Millie to do some school shopping. She got all of her supplies and a few clothes. She got a new backpack and was thrilled with all of her items.
Stuart bought himself a Blackstone grill.
The accessories.
The grill that will change our lives. It took him less than 30 minutes to put it together.
Stuart picked Jack up around 10 am. Millie got mad at me because I took her phone. This girl is going to get herself into trouble regarding social media, sadly. In the afternoon I decided to get in the pool. The kids and Stuart joined a bit later. I got out and went to take a shower. I was going to Heather Tawney’s for a girls’ night. It was Melinda, Heather and Lauren Glessner, who I hadn’t seen in years. We had an amazing time together.
Sunday morning my birthday week began. I went to have breakfast with Sue at la Madeleine French Bakery and Cafe. She bought me breakfast, but actually it turned out that we got breakfast for free because their computer system had a glitch. So we both got a birthday breakfast.
Sunday afternoon I took Jack to his workout and then we came back to the house for smash burgers on my birthday present, a new Blackstone grill!
Burgers with grilled onions and bacon, all made on the grill.
Grammie made a cake for the celebration of Jack, Millie and my birthday. Grammie and Pop were heading to Branson the following morning and wouldn’t be back until the end of September.
Monday was my actual birthday and it started out with the new rules and guidelines of my new job. Having everything nearly ready, I was forced to start nearly from scratch to change things. It was really quite frustrating. This would have been good information on our first day back at work, the previous Wednesday. But, never mind. I had a birthday lunch with Stuart and then we had Meet the Teacher. I only had two children show up with their families, but I suppose that is 50% since I only have 4 students on my roster.
We then went to Oregano’s for my birthday dinner. Uncle Russ joined us. Sadly, Stuart put his Italian sausage on his shirt and shorts and made a huge stain. And, yes, I do realize how that last sentences sounded. We then came back to our house and Uncle Russ joined us for cake and ice cream.
This was the cake Stuart and Millie made for me.
Tuesday was our last day before kids came back to school. Jack had his orientation and rode the bus to school. When we first got information of his orientation, I felt I needed to take the morning off to take him to school. Turns out, they didn’t want parents there. Oh, right, he’s a 7th grader, not a 2nd grader. Duh!
Stuart took Jack to a doctor appointment in the afternoon. Millie had a very uneventful day. I got home in time to head to my mom and dad’s to watch the 6th game of the championship NBA finals. They weren’t there, but Jack and I watched it with Uncle Russ. Sadly the Suns lost. Jack cried. He’s so competitive and wanted the Suns to win so badly. Poor kid!
Wednesday morning we got up and I went to school early. Stuart took Jack to the bus stop and then headed to Ryan Elementary to drop Millie at Kids Express.
Everyone was ready for a brand new school year. Because there are children in my class who have the potential to kick, hit or bite, I get to wear close-toed shoes and jeans everyday this year. Or should I say, I HAVE to wear these things. I may be the only teacher in the world who hates to wear jeans. I don’t like the way they fit my body, and I think they look unprofessional. So there is that! However, I was glad I had them on Wednesday.
My first day of school was quite the mess. Only 3 of my students were at school. Two are 3rd graders and the other two are 4th graders. One of my 4th graders wasn’t there. One of my 3rd graders definitely doesn’t belong in my class as he is very well behaved. One is being evaluated and will most likely move to a different school. I was informed at the end of the day that the 4th grader missing had withdrawn, and the one boy who I was sure would kick off in the day at some stage, actually did. It was epic. He called me every name in the book. It was emotionally draining. I tell all of this to say that by the end of the quarter I may want to retire earlier than planned.
Both of my personal kids reported they had a good day. I took Millie to gymnastics then went home.
We decided to have dinner out since Stuart was leaving for the UK the following morning. We picked Millie up from the gym at 8pm. We had food for her from Chilis. We got home, she showered and then went to bed.
Stuart was up at 4:45 am, which meant I was as well. My brother came to pick him up at 5:30 am to take him to the airport. He was flying to New York and then would fly onto the UK Friday evening. It was a cheaper way to do it.
Millie gave me so much grief when trying to wake her up. I finally left her upstairs and didn’t go back up until she came downstairs and apologized to me for her behavior. Maybe my experiences at school with ignoring the behavior of the kids will help me to ignore her behavior as well.
Everyone got to school just fine, including me. My student had another epic episode, but it wasn’t as bothersome to me this day for some reason. I picked up Millie from school just before 4 pm. I then collected Jack from Vicki and Ryan’s. I stayed and talked for a while. When I got home I spoke to Stuart who was in Nee York City. I went to bed relatively early because there was nothing else to do.
Friday morning we were all up and out to school. Jack took a bag to spend the night at Gavin’s. My students were well-behaved all day, which was nice. I went to happy hour with some of the teachers from our staff. It was the first happy hour we have had in a year. It was nice. I then picked Millie up from school and we headed home to let the dogs out of their crates. Millie and I sat down and watched We Bought a Zoo. It was a story based on real events. It was really cute. Millie went to bed with no struggles.
Saturday morning I got up and had a cup of coffee. I went to wake Millie up and she decided she didn’t want to go to gymnastics. She threw an epic fit. It was so frustrating. I decided to leave her home and go run some errands. I picked Jack up at 11:30 so he could go to a basketball training with Russ. He got back around 4:30 pm. I made dinner of chicken tenders, roasted broccoli, and mashed potatoes. It was the first time I had made mashed potatoes in my life. They were amazing. Gavin and Maddax were dropped off for a sleepover. The party was getting ready to start. Kids stayed up way too late.
Sunday morning I was up just after 6 am. I heard Maddax talking in his sleep and thought the older boys were awake and had waken the little kids. I was wrong. Vicki came over and brought donuts. We sat and had coffee and chatted for a while. They left just after 11 am. I ran to the store and then returned in time to take Jack to training with Uncle Russ.
After training we came back to the house for a while and then went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Then back to the house to finish Napoleon Dynamite. We also watched Miranda, which is an English sitcom staring Miranda Hart. I find her hilarious. I felt the need to introduce her to Russ. He loves British humor. I usually can watch her episodes on YouTube. I’ve seen each episode multiple times. Russ went home and it was nearly time for Millie to go to bed. Millie informed me her tummy was hurting. I did what every good mother does and told her she would be fine in the morning.
Monday morning the kids got up with little to no fuss, which was so nice. Since most mornings this year it will just be me getting them up, with Stuart traveling for his new job, it’s nice they gave me a break at the beginning of the week.
School and Wesley kicked off
Left school and took Millie to gymnastics, then picked Jack up from flag football tryouts. He was kind of discouraged about it. Picked Millie up, she showered, ate and went to bed.
Tuesday the kids’ alarms went off and they both got up with no fuss. I helped Millie make her bed and then she carried on with her regular morning routine. One of my students went off the rails after lunch.
After school I picked up Millie and then went to get Jack from tryouts. I delivered the kids home and then went to meet up with Elisa, Mary and Gina. Sherry was supposed to be there but she wasn’t feeling well so gave it a miss. I was so sad about that, especially when I discovered this was a bit of a birthday celebration for me that was Sherry’s idea. The girls all had gifts for me. It was so sweet and wonderful and made me feel so loved!
I got home and the kids had eaten and showered. I can’t believe Jack is old enough to stay home on his own and take care of his sister. It gives me a bit of freedom, especially this year as Stuart begins his new job.
Wednesday wasn’t as smooth as I would have wanted it to be. Millie still wasn’t ready to leave the house at 6:26, and we leave at 6:30. Ugh! I felt this might be a sign for the day I was getting ready to have. Sure enough, school was awful! The same kid that went off the rails on Tuesday, came into the day with behavior issues. It lasted all day. I can’t go into details, but let’s just say he has a very large vocabulary with many choice words. I left totally exhausted. The boy’s dad picked him up and was forced to come into the classroom as he was destroying the room. His actions, as opposed to the other student, are total choice.
I managed to get to Millie on time to take her to gymnastics. I then scurried to pick Jack up. We got home and sorted out the dogs and then I cleaned up around the house. I went to a gymnastics meeting where I discovered exactly how committed we were going to be as Millie started the competitive team circuit. It is not a cheap undertaking. After the meeting we came home and Millie showered, had a grilled cheese sandwich and went straight to bed.
Thursday morning both kids were up due to their alarms. I’m so happy they are starting to take on that responsibility. It makes it easier for me. We left the house on time and by the time I got to school I was feeling pretty optimistic about the day. Poor me! The day went just as the previous day. I was bite, punched, kicked, pinched, screamed at, cussed out, and spit on. How fulfilling is my job? In 5 days I have discovered how much I ignore when it comes to behaviors. It’s a lot!
After school on Thursday, I picked up both kids, swung through McDonalds for an ever so nutritious supper, ran home to let the dogs out and then took Jack to Gavin’s so he could go to volleyball open gym. The boy hasn’t met a game he didn’t like. Millie showered when I got home and was ready for bed. We watched some television and watched to clock. We went to pick Jack up from Gavin’s and Ryan, Gav’s dad, said Jack ‘killed it’ on the court that evening. He’s never played volleyball, but now is in love with it. He’s a funny kid!
Friday was more of the same for my class. We ignored behaviors and the two that did so were rewarded substantially. They were very proud of their efforts to keep working. One of them had a slight episode for about 20 minutes, but snapped out of it and was fine the rest of the day. Whereas the boy who had had behavior issues most of the week just carried on with his behaviors. In the end he wasn’t able to ride the bus and we had to call his mother to come and collect him. A bus driver can and does refuse to take children who are displaying poor behavior. I was beyond ready for the weekend.
Jack and his buddy Gavin and Kyle were supposed to have a sleepover, but Kyle caught a cold and wasn’t well and it seems Gav had actually made other plans with their friend Mikey, so we postponed that fun and the kids and I went to eat at Barrio Queen, then came home and purchased Jungle Cruise from Disney. We watched about half of it before Millie fell asleep on the sofa. I took her to bed and then I watched television while Jack played a game on his phone. Jack went to bed around 10:30 and I fell asleep on the sofa once I was back downstairs. I don’t know why I don’t just go to bed, but I never have and may never.
Saturday morning I was awake at 6:15 am. Millie woke up on her own, which is always so much easier for me. She got ready for gymnastics and we headed out. I dropped her off and then met Sue at Eggstasy for breakfast. After breakfast we decided to go to TJ Maxx and Ross. We both bought a few things and then I headed back to the gym to get Millie. We got home just before 1 pm. I really should have been cleaning the house or planning lessons, but instead I just sat and watched television.
Ken dropped by for a visit around 2:30 pm. We had a good catch up before Gavin and Vicki came over. Gavin was going to be spending the night. The boys got in the pool and swam for a while. I put a pizza in the oven for the kids’ dinner. After Vicki left, the boys played upstairs and Millie watched Netflix on her laptop in her room. When I finally pulled myself off the sofa and went upstairs, I found Millie asleep with her laptop still open. I put her laptop away and then hit the hat myself. Jack said he and Gav were going in his room to play video games. I have no idea how late the were awake. Another month of the blog! Here’s to an amazing August!
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