All of the emails.

My to-do list urged me to write today, but I do not have the mental space to bang out a poem. 

And then I realized that I wrote 10,000 emails today.  I wrote all of the emails, actually.  And what is that, if not writing?

Here lies Sarah.  She wrote a lot of emails.

When you are trying to feel optimistic about your day, but also you are kind of tranqued out, and your hair is looking rainbow-y and you might be a gumdrop with teeth:

I had acupuncture today, and my therapist said she was going to work on my uterus and she was trying to produce a dull ache that morphed into a spreading sensation, and I was lime whatever and then OH MY GOSH it totally happened and I fell asleep under the heat light like a fleshy lizard and I woke up feeling wonderful.

Can you tell that Cooper just wanted to go to school? It was already three minutes later than he wanted to leave.  But spirit week means pictures:

PJ day, yesterday

If my math is correct (and, I mean, we have every reason to believe it is not), this is the last year that Cooper and Jack and Jack and Dorothy will go to the same school unless Dorothy and Cooper do their undergrad wherever Jack is ion grad school.

So, I guess these days are even sweeter than I realized.

Pro/Con for a Monday

Con: The house is tee-rashed
Pro: We had a happy and harmonious morning and everyone went to school in appropriate spirit week clothing and had their meds.

Con:  I did not work on my adjunct online class, um, at all this morning even though it was clearly written in my to-do list.  My really really optimistic to-do list that looks more Wednesday-ish than Monday-ish.
Pro: I ordered Dorothy's birthday party decorations, cake, balloons, and favors, deciding that online shopping makes the most sense and that I do not have to drive all the hell over town and comparison shop for the best deal because my time? IS NOT FREE.  Every kid is getting a Pokemon easy reader book and maybe if I buy film an Instax picture of themselves posed by the Pokemon photo wall.  (It's a Pokemon party.)  But probably, I will just upload a bunch of digital pics to the Evite and call it a day.  So a book.  THEY ARE GETTING A BOOK.  In other party news, this is going to be a delightfully low-key party.  It's only 90 minutes long, and it's not during a meal time.  The birthday girl has requested we play duck, duck, goose and pin the tail on the Pokemon.  I also got a pinata and plan to print a bunch of Pokemon coloring sheets/set up a tiny crafts table where they color and maaaaaybe decorate a pinata treat bag.  Jack has volunteered to man a Pokemon tattoo station.  There will be cake, ice cream, pretzels, fruit, juice boxes, and Pokemon fruit snacks.  Period,  DONE-ZO. (Wish me luck, obvs, because house full of kindergarteners, etc).

Con: Still haven't opened my novel, even though my computer situation is totally fixed and love my new Mac and did I mention it is pink?
Pro: I have written a poem everyday for a week.

Con: No plans to leave the house or get dressed until a true cluster of an afternoon with pick up and drop off times to manage, etc.
Pro: Planned to get takeout, simplifying my life by about a million percent.

Con: SO MYCH WORK TO DO
Pro: A day unfolding with time to actually DO IT.

Cheers!

What We're Eating This Week 6/52

Saturday:  Chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes
Sunday: Leftovers!
Monday: Milio's at the hockey rink
Tuesday Ham and cheese sliders, coleslaw, apples
Wednesday: Slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, cheese quesadillas, chips, salsa, guac
Thursday: TAKE OUT
Friday: Movie night

Last week, I tried to make dinner for the kids on our INSANE nights of activities, but that suuuuucked, especially since Ben and I both work outside the house on Thursdays.  Monday this week we have another crazy night, but I can work from home, so by time the children get home, I can AT LEAST have folded the damn laundry and let the dog out to pee.  it won't be sop frantic at the crack of 3:30, like Thursdays are.  Still, it makes the most sense to not even try to do dinner at home those days.

Back to work: The first normal week

Oh my goodness!

It snowed, but there were no snow days!

I worked and worked and worked this week!

And you guuuuuuuys!  I got so much done. The class I direct is updated for fall.  My lectures are prepped for next week.  My adjunct classes are trucking along.  I wrote 6 pages of poems to make up for all of the poetry lost when my computer died.  I only have to read 5 more books to be on track for the month, and I have gobs of library holds lined up.

I can see a way through this semester.

But!

On  Thursday, I worked all day on campus, and when I came home to grab the kids and drag them, through 2 plus hours of extracurriculars.  And when I ran inside at 3 pm to drop off Ben's dry cleaning, let the dog out to pee, grab Dorothy's dance bag, the bag of activities for Cooper and Jack, ad Harry's hockey stuff (with a special trip downstairs to grab the exact sweatshirt he wanted to wear on the ice for practice), I realized that no one switched the laundry all day.  BECAUSE NO ONE WAS HOME.  It used to be that on a  day like that when I flew through the door to grab the kids and be their taxi, the house would be warm and would smell like dinner prep and clean clothes and dryer sheets.  Because on my outside days, Ben was inside working.  BUTA NOW WE ARE ALL GONE and it's a bummer.  We never could have done this when the kids were little.  It is hard enough when they are taken care of all day, and all I a missing is a cozy house, you know.  Hats off to families with little kids and working parents because day-um.

Jack and Cooper and I enjoyed a cozy half an hour at Panera where the boys worked on projects and I read a book

 Jack got the signature hot chocolate, and it was clearly a good choice.

 At least someone is cozy on the couch.

 The 100th day of schoooooool!

 The kids' school has a 100 day store for the kindergarteners where they get to shop with a cup full of 100 pennies, and it is THE CUTEST.

Happy weekend-- we are looking down the barrel of ANOTHER winter storm.  Bah.

Does this sound frazzled? I might be frazzled.

Of all the days to NOT prep the night before, today was THE WORST ONE.  I forgot that Dorothy has dance on Thursdays.  harry has rehearsal and then hockey.  Jack and Cooper are, as ever, along for the ride.  It's all very fraught. 

And yet.  There I was, packing back packs and after school bags and snacks and water bottles and making myself a chicken salad pita right there at 8 am.  Amazingly, though, I got to lecture with TIME TO SPARE.  But, alas, not enough time to get a coffee.  Tragic.

Not tragic?  Enlisting Cooper's help with dinner prep.  OMG he's the most enthusiastic.  (But, alas, he still only eats plain beige carbs, and not potatoes, even though he loves to stab them, and they certainly fit the bill.

 Best side dish ever: just cut some sprouts in half and out syrup, butter, and Everything But the Bagel on them and cook them at whatever temperature your meat is cooking.

A quickie

Shoveling snow is cardio, right?

Also, let's never speak again of the amount of frosted oatmeal cookie bars I ate today, OK?  OK.

You can read my latest Madison Moms Blog post RIGHT HERE

I need to read 6 more books by the end of the month to keep on pace, so I gotta go.

But first:
After school reading time on a big stuffed dinosaur:

 And also, the after

 And before

of my total disaster closet.  Amazing what you can accomplish with 16 minutes (literally-- I set a timer) and an Apple Music 80s workout playlist.

Dates

I had a couple of 19 for 2019 items on my list that revolved around dates.  Ben and I wanted to go out more.  I wanted to go out with friends more, and I wanted to have more one-on-ones with the kids.  I worked hard on those goals last week, in addition to doing all of the things, and, like usual, I have tons of crappy pictures

Dorothy and I had an early morning Costco date where we successfully stuck to our list and bought only health things-- the s'mores bar Dorothy grabbed at a pre-Costco coffee shop notwithstanding, obvs.

 Meanwhile, Jack had a date with a hitting coach

 Later that day, Dorothy and I went on a shopping date because I needed something to wear on an actual date later that night, and she really wanted some new shoes because even though it is cold and snowy, it's going on like month four of Ugg season, which is always a bummer.

 At a bar!  On a real date!

 I found these pictures in my photo stream because Dorothy must have taken them at hockey on Sunday, and could I love them more?  Not possible.

Dorothy's shoes

 Her leggings

 And the t-shirt she found with Beatrix on it.  OH MY GOSH.

 We rounded out the weekend twinning in our headbands with a podcast date.  I am just crossing those NYR's off the list.  Next up: Cram in a few more Oscar movies before this weekend!

Jack is a BOY SCOUT!

I have to really hand it to Jack.  He has dealt with our lack of enthusiasm about Cub Scouts so well and has persevered and even flourished despite (because of?) a lack of parental involvement.  I mean, we made sure he got to meetings, and we helped him make up achievements he might have missed because of his other siblings' activities.  We hosted a few den meetings here and there.  Ben is always willing to wield a damn hacksaw in the service of the Pinewood Derby.  But really?  Jack became a Boy Scout because he loves the activity and really wanted to succeed in in.  How cool is that?  We are super proud of him.

Also, Harry did NOT take a knee during the Pledge at the Blue and Gold Banquet, even though that's his usual response to the Pledge.  I can only assume that his speech unit in English class is paying off because he's better at audience analysis.  He did react noticeably to the Arrow of Light explanation by the Boy Scouts of the troop Jack is joining that talked about how the shaft of the arrow symbolizes how Boy Scouts live their lives: STRAIGHT.  Erm.  See above about why we don't like the BSA and haven't been terribly active participants.

But all in all it was a lovely night (and where else can we feed the kids complete with CAKE for $20?).

What We're Eating This Week 6/52

Saturday:
Chicken wrap pinwheels from Costco with chips and salsa and fruit.
Sunday:
Enchiladas.  Chips, salsa, guac.
Monday:
 Chicken breasts, baked potatoes, salad green beans
Tuesday:
Pork chops, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, canned pineapple tidbits
Wednesday:
Burgers, fries, veggies and dip
Thursday:
?!?! Hockey picnic or terrible fast food, I am guessing.
Friday:
MOVE NIGHT

SO half-assed, and yet groceries were like $300.  So, that's awesome.

VDAY

We have talked about how much I love Valentine's Day, right?

Because I do.  I love it so much.

The candy!  The cookies!  The little kid parties!  The Galentine's celebrations!  I love all of it so much, the cheesier the better.

Wine tasting with friends.  I probably should have taken a picture BEFORE I took a bite of my candy, but, alas.

 Heart-shaped lunch food.

 Ha!  Maybe I should have shopped a little more carefully.

 Yay!  Valentines for the kiddies!

 Cooper's Vday party-- we played minute to win it games galore.  Here they are trying to suck conversation hearts out of a cup with a paper straw.

 Making cookies!

 Dorothy's class did the same thing.

 Aggressive use of edible glitter, yes?

 Love it!

 He has hot pink teeth from using his straw to drink frosting.  Erm.

 Give me that!

 She was PUMPED

 Papa Murphy's for the win!

 I love this card

 We had THE BEST grown up dinner at one of our favorite supper clubs.

Also, yesssss!

 Ben didn't get dressed up for dinner.,  THAT'S WHAT HE WEARS TO WORK NOW.  It has been at least 2 kids since Ben wore suits to work.  Honestly, I think it has been 3 kids.  And all his suits from a decade ago?  Still fit.  The bastard.

 Platonic ideal of a (brandy) old fashioned (sweet).

 THESE CHOCOLATES!!

All the heart eyes