Monday morning we got up and went to school. Stuart worked from home for a half day and then left for Navajo Mountain, Utah, just before noon. After school Millie and I went and picked up the cats. We decided to name them Winston and Franklin. There is a bit of a World War II connection there. Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England during World War II and Franklin D Roosevelt was the president during World War II. We called the black and white one Winston and the striped one we refer to as Frankie. Millie was in heaven once we had the cats back at the house.
One happy girl.
I left Millie and went to see a piece of furniture in the neighborhood. They were selling it on Facebook. I decided we wanted it. I then went to Jack’s volleyball match at Casteel against Bogle Junior High. Casteel crushed them. Jack and I came home and he went up to see the cats for a while. Both kids quickly discovered that the cats did exactly what the cats wanted to do. The dogs were being tortured downstairs, knowing there were cats upstairs. Our baby gate would serve as the buffer until the cats decided to brave the downstairs.
Tuesday was another day at school, being reprimanded for what a child claimed I said. Stupid! After school I took Millie to her first day of her Gold level class. She was very excited as two of her Silver teammates were moving up as well. After I left, I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up Millie’s medication. I went home for a bit and then left for Casteel for another volleyball match. Again, the competition wasn’t great and they easily beat Willis Junior High in two sets. We came home after the match. Jack was frustrated at his play, as I explained, he finally understood that the caliber of play he is up against at the moment will not produce the results he is used too.
Wednesday was a half day. When I got home from school, Millie was in the house with our neighbor, Weston. The dogs were still in their crate, and I called up to her and she was a little bit sketchy. She had changed clothes for the music concert at her school, and I had asked her where she had changed her clothes and she told me the bathroom. Well, I know Millie well enough to know that if she had changed her clothes in the bathroom, her dirty clothes would still be in the bathroom. I got upstairs and her dirty clothes were on her bed. It was all a bit too sketchy for me. I told her that when parents weren’t home, no one was to be in the house that did not live in the house. The neighbor boys are like her brothers, but it still made me a bit uncomfortable. I took her to school so she could wait for her music teacher to show up for the concert. I then went to pick Jack up from volleyball practice. I returned Jack back to the house and I went to the music concert. When Millie and I got back from the music concert, I took Jack to get his hair buzzed.
I have no idea why he wanted it done, but it is just hair and it will grow back. Once we were back home I started getting texts from Millie’s coach about drama she claimed Millie was involved in. After some investigating, I discovered that actually Millie was trying to diminish the drama. I ended up letting the coach know that I was sorry she felt she needed to get involved in this, but if she would give my name and number to the mother concerned about what part Millie played in this drama she could give me a call. I never heard from the mother. There are helicopter mothers that stay at the gym while the girls train, the entire 12 hours a week. I drop and go, as it should be to help create a secure, independent girl. It is quite annoying, truth be known.
Thursday there was more drama at my school and my principal came in to speak to my team. Her approach is always a bit accusatory, which I am sure everyone knows I don’t appreciate. At any rate, my team finally clammed up and didn’t even respond to her, resulting in her making a snide remark and leaving. Whatever! One more year!
Thursday the 8th grade team had their final regular season game, which they won, at Andersen Junior High. The pink shirts were given to each of them. These shirts would be worn at the first varsity playoff game the following evening. Stuart got home and we went to Fat Willy’s before picking Millie up.
Friday was school. I went to take Millie to gymnastics after school. Stuart and I went to Skippy’s for dinner then went to varsity game. They won. We came home to make Millie a cheese quesadilla and then picked her up. When I got home Jack had asked about playing in a lawn volleyball tournament the next morning. Once we had said yes, he was upstairs talking strategy on FaceTime with his buddies that were playing with him.
Saturday morning we were up just after 6 AM and Jack was picked up at 7:15 to go to Bell Bank Park. Stuart and I went to pick up a piece of furniture at 8 AM and then returned home to wake Millie up. Stuart went off to the volleyball tournament and I took Millie and Mallory to KTR. I left them there for four hours. They loved it and I was able to
Go watch Alex, Carter and Jack (in that order below).
They won their age group pool play! They were actually quite exciting to watch. 
This boy of ours loves this game!
Once I picked up Millie and Mallory at KTR, we went to Panera for a bite to eat. I then took the girls to Mallory’s house for a sleepover. I met Jack and Stuart at home. Jack showered and we took the golf cart down to Grammie and Pop’s. On the way Jack asked me if Grammie would make him something to eat. I told him she probably would. We stayed there for about an hour, and as I suspected, Grammie made him a grilled sandwich. When we got back home Jack got ready for his 8th grade formal. He had a busy day for sure.
He is A LOT taller than I am. And his pant length is evidence of that.
Still not as tall as Stuart, though.
His buddies! Left to right: Owen, Carter, Gavin and Jack
Well, Millie was at her sleepover and the boys were at the dance, and the parents went to dinner at Vitos. At the end of the eighth grade formal, Jeremy picked up the boys and took them back to his house for a sleepover. Stuart and I went home and played a couple of hands of rummy and then went to bed. We are party animals for sure!
Sunday morning we were up relatively early with no children in the house. We weren’t exactly sure what to do with ourselves. We had some coffee and kind of got ready for the day. I went and picked Jack up at 9 AM and then returned him home to do his chores before he had tutoring at 11 AM. I picked Millie up around 10 AM and when we got back she and I helped clean out her drawers and get rid of some clothes. The boys came for tutoring and after tutoring Stuart and I went to the grocery store. Millie tagged along with us, which ended up costing us more money than it needed to.
Sunday afternoon one of the boys from Jack’s club volleyball team had a get together at his house in Phoenix. This house was incredible. It’s a 9000 square-foot one level house and the grounds surround it were amazing. They have an inground trampoline. They have a really cool battleship human size board outside. They also have a full basketball court, which turns into a volleyball court as well. It was amazing. We stayed there until the Suns game was over and then headed back home. Millie showered and had something to eat because she wouldn’t eat tacos from the catered taco truck at the house.
Monday the rat race started again. If it is possible, I have more strategic thinking to put into every week now that Millie goes to gymnastics Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We have told her that she will only get a fast food meal on one of those nights, so on the other nights I have to be home long enough to make her meal and put it in foil to keep it hot. It would be so awesome if she wasn’t a picky eater, but that is not the case. She will eat cheese quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, fish sticks, chicken tenders, and buttered noodles. Most of these items are a bit difficult to keep warm. I try to make sure she has them when I pick her up, otherwise she eats too late and then bed is too late as well. I will survive! Many mothers before me have done the same and I still see them standing.
After school on Monday, I ran Millie to gymnastics and then picked Jack up from volleyball practice. I tried to make him some food when we got home but he didn’t want any. I returned to school for a band concert. I was the only teacher from 5th and 6th grade there. Long gone are the days where everybody just shows up. Usually the sentiment is, it’s not in my contract. At any rate, when the concert was over I came home for a bit and relaxed before fixing food for Millie and picking her up from gym. Routine as usual.
Tuesday after school we did the same routine. The difference this day was that I collected Jack and we went to Skippy’s to eat dinner before going back to the high school to watch the volleyball match between Casteel and Williams Field. It was a tough match, but Casteel pulled it out in the end. I actually had to leave at the beginning of the fifth set to go get Millie from gymnastics. That night became McDonald’s night.
Wednesday was school as usual. It was a half day, and this is the only night that none of us have anything to do. I went and collected Jack after practice. I made dinner for the kids and Elise came over.
Thursday was school and our college and career night. I left school and took Millie to gymnastics. I returned for the start of the college and career night, missing Jack’s first set of his playoff game. I got to the second set, but they crushed them so it was no big deal. We then went to the men’s varsity volleyball game to watch them play ALA Queen Creek. It was a repeat of Tuesday night’s game. Even the part where I had to go get Millie early. As I left the school I ran into the principal. I had sent him an email expressing my disgruntlement about the way Jack had been dealt with regarding his Honors Algebra class. He hadn’t responded and acted like he hadn’t even received the email. Whatever! I got it all off my chest and that made me feel as if I had stood up for Jack. Because I had to run from the game to the gym, that night became a Burger King night.
Friday Millie was at gymnastics. Stuart and I went to dinner when he got home and I had taken Jack to Kyle’s house. Little did I know he had an ulterior motive for going over there. There was a girl that lived in a neighborhood south of Kyle’s house, and they went to visit her. When we stopped to pick him up after we got Millie from gymnastics, he was missing in action. We finally had to go and pick him up about a mile and a half away from Kyle‘s house. I was going to let him spend the night, but then I decided he was on my list and so he couldn’t. He did not utter a word on the way home. He knew he had broken our trust and it would be a bit of a trek back up that ‘trust hill’.
Saturday morning we got up and went grocery shopping. Jack had tutoring at 10 AM. We bought some gifts for graduation cards. We bought some posterboard to make signs for the Casteel men’s volleyball championship. The kids made their signs and we went to the high school to send them off.
We then drove to Quick Trip and some of the eighth grade parents bought adult beverages and we drank them in the parking lot of Skyline High School in Mesa. The game was a bit anti-climactic, but the men’s volleyball varsity team won the championship in three easy sets. After the championship, we went to the Tawney’s house for Abby‘s graduation party. We didn’t stay late, but got to see some friends, which was nice.
Sunday morning we got up and went grocery shopping again. We then drove the golf cart to Creekside Taco for lunch. We decided to go see Guardians of the Galaxy 3. When we got home, we went down to visit Grammie and Pop and tell Grammie happy Mother’s Day. When we got home, Stuart and I sat by the pool with our feet in. It is still too chilly for me to be in it completely. The neighbors kids came over to swim. They went home around 9 pm.
I suppose summer is here.
Monday morning I took Jack to school. Stuart took Millie to Starbucks before he brought her to school. She is a spoiled little girl by her dad.
The math department head called me Monday morning, after receiving my email to her and Jack’s teacher the previous week. The conversation didn’t resolve any of my issues with the Algebra teacher. However, the longer we spoke, the more I was convinced he was let go rather than deciding on his own that he would resign. So I guess he can’t screw up other kids.
I was going to go home for lunch as Stuart was still home, but I needed to make copies for an activity I was going to do after lunch. So I stayed at school. Millie and I left school and ran by the house to pick up Stuart and Weston. We then dropped Millie off at the gym before heading to Jack’s volleyball match. This was the semi-finals. They won quite easily. They would be in the finals that Wednesday again Santan Junior High, the only team all season that really gave them any competition.
Tuesday evening were the academic awards at Jack’s school. We got the email late. It seems they weight the junior high grades, so although he didn’t have straight As he got the 4.0 academic award. Whatever!
He cleans up nicely!
Wednesday we had a school kickball game with the 6th graders facing the teachers. It was also the 8th grade volleyball championship. They played so hard. They won the first set, lost the second set, got a bit griped out by the varsity coach and it seems that little pep talk pushed them to win the third set pretty easily. What an excited season they had. The last match was definitely the nail biter of the season.
He was pretty pleased!
Thursday I left school early and one of the teachers at my school took Millie to gym. I met with Algebra teacher to see Jack’s tests and quizzes since they don’t give them back to the students. I took notes to give to Lauren, Jack’s tutor. I just want Jack to have the best chance to get the best grade on the final. After meeting with the teacher, I went to the boys vs girls volleyball match. The boys won this year. Jack and I went to have dinner at my mom and dads. Stuart showed up shortly after we got to their house. My brother was there as well. He was in town to meet with some guys who were putting together a basketball and volleyball gym. I left to pick Millie up and returned to my parents’ house so she could see Uncle Russ for a bit.
Friday we had awards at our school. Millie got Honor Roll for the entire year.
I took Millie to gym after school. When I got home, Stuart and I went to dinner with Jack to talk about his math track for high school. It was decided that he would retake Algebra 1 and get out of honors math classes. He seemed satisfied and we just want him to be okay with what he decides. It is hard to let them start having such a say in these things.
Saturday we went to have coffee with Grammie, Pop and Uncle Russ. It was my dad’s official first outing since his knee replacement nearly 4 weeks ago. He didn’t last long at all. When we got home, we cleaned the house. Stuart installed a new garage door opener because ours had died earlier in the week. The boys had their last tutoring session. After tutoring, Jack went to Kyle’s for a while with strict rules. We picked him up around 6 pm and then went to dinner with Ken and Maytee. Maytee told us she was going to have to go to Alaska to help move her father down to Arizona. It seems he was wandering in Kodiak, Alaska, where he lives, and he wasn’t exactly sure where he was. They discovered he has the beginnings of dementia. She was so sad talking about it. We had a delicious dinner, but a sad one as well.
Russ came over Sunday morning for coffee. He then left to get ready to go to the airport. Stuart began preparing for the pork fried rice he had promised the Greens and the Hills for lunch. I went out to do some shopping. While I was gone, Millie cut up strawberries, Stuart developed a chores chart for the kids, and after the rice was done, Jack helped clean the grill.
We were in the pool all day. Let’s just say day drinking and sun are not the best combination. Monday Stuart didn’t leave until around 2 pm. He would only be gone until Thursday, but this was one of those days I was sad he was gone. I think it had something to do with the fact that Liz was supposed to come for a visit the following weekend and had to cancel. I was bummed to say the least. Millie had gymnastics and Jack had volleyball club practice, so I was left with my own thoughts for a while, so that wasn’t terribly helpful either. The kids were beginning their summer season.
Because only two of Jack’s original buddies were on the 1st team, we only had a carpool of 3. We all decided we were willing to pick up and drop off from houses. Because it was coming up on summer, it really wouldn’t add much to the drive. So Jack was collected and dropped off at home. That took two drives off my plate, which was nice. I picked Millie up from gym with chicken tenders, tater tots and broccoli in a lunch bag. She had decided Mondays and Fridays would be for chicken tenders and a side, while Tuesdays would be cheese quesadilla and a side. This would leave Thursdays as the fast food night. She had it all figured out.
Tuesday we were up and out the door. Millie had to get a bracket replaced right after school. I took her to gymnastics right after that. Grammie had picked Jack up from school because he said he didn’t want to wait for me. Once I was home, I loaded up Moose to take him to the vet for bloodwork. He was having his snip snip on June 7. He also needed to be checked out for a potential skin rash. Lovely! Jack had studying to do for his finals the next two days. When I got home with Moose, I had time to relax a bit before making Millie’s quesadilla and going to pick her up. We got home and both kids showered and were ready for bed.
Wednesday I had to leave school early, pick Jack up to take him home before returning to school for our last staff meeting of the year. Jack had finals on Wednesday and Thursday so he had a half day both days. Millie had ridden home with the neighbors as she always does on half days. After our meeting, I finished cleaning out my classroom. Once I was finished at school, I went to see Sue. She gave me some Adirondack chairs. She got some red ones and gifted her blue ones to me. I was thrilled. Also, I hadn’t seen her in forever so I wanted to go and have a little catch-up. I did my best to fill her in on things and she told me about the new Nike store that Hannah had opened in Utah. When I got home, I took the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. We actually had a really good time. They usually never want to go out to eat with me. However, we went and had some food, and also played the Buffalo Wild Wings trivia. When we got home it was nightly business as usual.
Thursday was the last day of school, and we had a great sixth grade clap out. Millie cried because one of her friends would not be going to school with her the following year. I did not cry because I knew that the end of one year meant that I only had one year left. I again went to the high school to pick Jack up from school. His finals ended fine. He didn’t have the best grades, but he didn’t have the worst either. So we are just hopeful for high school. Once I was finished cleaning out my room at school, I went home and picked Millie up to take her to gymnastics Before getting her there I had to stop and get gas. It seems that I let my car run a little too close to empty.
Yes, you read that correctly. 2 miles to empty.
I got home and fixed Jack dinner before taking him and his buddies to volleyball practice at Brophy. Stuart was not able to pick Millie up from gymnastics as he had intended. The I 17 closed as they were coming home. My mom ended up picking her up and taking her to McDonald’s, then bringing her home. Stuart was home when my mom delivered Millie. I am so thankful they are here to help out when I need them. Once I was home, Stuart and I sat on the back patio and had a few beverages. We caught up from the week and realized we were virtually on summer break, although we will both work some this summer. It will be different than an everyday thing.
Friday morning I was up and at school before 730. We had breakfast at school and then we’re dismissed to leave if we were finished with our classrooms. I ended up going to do some shopping for a birthday party that Millie had been invited to. I met Stuart at Blue 32 after dropping Jack at Kyle’s for a sleepover. I made Jack repeat my expectations of him before he got out of the car. He is a pretty good kid, but one wrong step and that could all change. I always just have a refresher conversation before letting him loose.
When we got home from lunch, we watched television. I drove Millie, in the golf cart, so she actually drove, to her party in the next neighborhood. When I returned, Stuart and I got in the pool for about an hour. I then went to pick Millie up. When I got home, Elise was at our house and she, Stuart and I went to dinner at TC’s. Millie had already had pizza at her party and didn’t want to go with us anyway. We came back to the house and sat out on the back porch. Elise went home around 9 pm and Stuart went to bed. I stayed up for a while longer. Millie fell asleep just after 10 pm on the sofa. I finally took her upstairs and went to bed myself.
Saturday morning I woke up and them forced myself to go back to sleep until just after 7 am. I put the shock collar on the puppy so he doesn’t whine and wake me up. We usually don’t even have to use it. He knows it is on him and he knows what it can do, so that seems to be enough of a deterrent. So he didn’t wake me up. The sun coming through our bathroom is what wakes me up. We need to put up a curtain, but we have been saying that for 13 years.
Once I was up, I stripped our bed and started laundry. I was able to remake Millie and our bed before Elise came over. We got in the pool around 10 am. Just before noon, we got out as we were going to my mom and dad’s for lunch. My mom had been working on a book of her life, having asked all of us to contribute memories. She finally finished the book and wanted us to come over so she could give them to us. I look at my blog as ‘my story’. One day I will get this into a format that will be like a book, I hope. At any rate, we got the book today. I am anxious to read it.
When we left Grammie and Pop’s house, I took Millie and her friend Landrie to KTR (a trampoline park) for the afternoon. Once we were home we had an evening relaxing.
Sunday we spent the day at Carter’s house. The moms had adult Capri Suns and the kids went out on the boat.
Millie wake boarded for the first time.
We got home and Ken and Maytee came over. They left around 9 pm and then Elise came over. It was a full social day for sure.
Monday I was up and a bit worse for the ware. I laid around most of the morning. I then made a blueberry cobbler to take to my teammate’s house for a cookout we were invited to. Quite frankly, I was surprised about the invitation and felt we had to go. My teammate, Jen and her family, were there as well. We spent a couple of hours by the pool and had some delicious burgers and dogs. Millie spent the day at a friend’s house and Jack spent the day not feeling very well. I truly believe he was a bit dehydrated from the previous day. After the cookout we came home and got in the pool. We sat around all evening and did virtually nothing.
Tuesday morning Stuart went to the Empower warehouse and I had a math training. Millie went to a friend’s house and Jack was home trying to log into his online health class. He kept messaging me to ask me how to do his work. Once I was home in the afternoon, I helped him get set up for his class and he actually got a great deal of work done. Tuesday afternoon we went in the pool. We didn’t have any activities for the day. Millie actually had the week off of gymnastics, which was a good break for her.
Wednesday morning we lazed around and did a whole lot of nothing. Stuart went to the grocery store later in the afternoon to get stuff for quiche and a salad he was making for my teacher friends who were coming over on Thursday to spend the day in the pool. Stuart and I had a meeting for the work we would be doing with Empower this summer. Wednesday afternoon I found out volleyball practice for Jack would be at Brophy again. Of course I was due to drive again. I hate that drive, but I endured it. I took my mom’s book and read that for a while before going in to watch the boys practice.
Thursday we got up and started moving rooms around. I moved all of the things out of the guest room to our room. Jack started moving his stuff to the downstairs bedroom and Millie started moving her things to Jack’s room. The kids wanted a new room, so we let them do it. It gave us a chance to get rid of some things and declutter a bit. Merkel and Sam came over around 11 am to swim and eat lunch. As usual, Stuart made a beautiful spread and the quiche was amazing. We had a great time in the pool with mimosas.
Stuart left to take Millie to Big Air with some friends. We picked up her friend Ella and then her parents were going to bring Millie home as Stuart and I were going out that evening. Merkel and Sam left around 3 pm and then Stuart and I got ready to go meet some of the teachers he works with from Navajo Mountain, Utah. They were at a conference at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. Stuart needed to give them some items for their summer school classes. We had dinner at Red Robin and then Stuart and I went to the casino for a little bit. We played video roulette. We actually had a lot of fun. We didn’t win anything, but enjoyed our time away from the kids. When we got home, I was expecting for the little things left in each of the kids’ rooms to be sorted out. Instead, I found each of those piles in a trash bag. I was livid! My kids are so stinking lazy! It makes me crazy! I lit into both of them.
Friday morning I had an eye appointment. It seems I am improving, according to the doctor, but I can’t tell much difference. Once I was finished at the doctor, I came home and Stuart and I went to Wal Mart to get dog food, cat food, and litter for the summer. When we got home, we took Millie and two of her friends to Dave and Busters, which had recently opened in Queen Creek. What an expensive day of fun that was. Yikes! We came home and got in the pool. Our pool is one of my favorite investments ever! We had a relatively quiet evening at home. We had decided to let Jack take the golf cart out for a spin that afternoon. It seems that two of the naughtiest kids in Millie’s class decided to throw rocks at her. So, Jack, being the protective, yet somewhat stupid, brother, threw a bigger rock at them. Super! I was half expecting the boys’ parents to show up at my door, but it hasn’t happened…..yet.
Saturday was my mom’s birthday. Jack and Millie went down to their house to decorate for her birthday. We ordered Chipotle and took it to Grammie and Pop’s. We spent a couple of hours with them and then came back to our house to……yep, get in our pool. The neighbors came over and Stuart made pork glazed in Japanese bbq sauce. After dinner, the kids were out on the golf cart again. When they came back to the house, they told us what happened. It seems that Jack decided to let Millie drive, which he wasn’t supposed to do. She got a bit freaked out and didn’t want to drive anymore. Instead of putting the golf cart in park, she just scooted over. As you would guess, she hit a truck parked on the road. They went to the front door and told the owners. They came home and told us and I rode back with Jack to speak to the owners. I could not have been more surprised. The man was so gracious and forgiving. I gave his wife my number and told them we would pay for the damage. A grandmother was at the house as well. Her words to me meant so much. She said, ‘You are doing something right. They didn’t have to come to the door and tell us they ran into the truck, but they did.’ So, although this is likely to be a costly mistake, both kids did the right thing. That made me happy. So the evening ended on a bit of a lesson to all of us, we hope. No more unsupervised golf cart rides!
