Tuesday, August 18, 2020

This was originally posted last October!  I am busy with prepping for school and I thought some of you may be struggling with this now – especially with all of the recent “togetherness”?  Maybe some of this will apply to pre-teens, as well.  I will put any new thoughts in italics!  

Are there teens in your life?  I have been thinking about writing this post for awhile because I am with teens close to 24/7!  Why am I qualified to write this?  I am not!  But, I have 17 year old twin boys and I have been a high school teacher for 26 years. 

I personally love teenagers!  I think they are fun, funny, sharp, caring, open-minded, but they are also scared, in a state of limbo, dealing with new responsibilities and emotions.  I would say that being a teen today may just be harder than ever before.  There is so much pressure on them to already know what they want to study, to get the highest test scores possible, to play all the sports and be in all the activities.  And, on top of that, think about the social media aspect of their lives.  So, before you deal with a teen, I think it’s important to think about these things and come to them with a little more understanding.  Now, do I always practice what I preach?  No.  I have my share of head butting with my kids and my students.  Add Covid concerns to the mix and what they are dealing with today is so much, y’all!  Give them more grace today than you might normally.  

First of all, as a parent, set boundaries.  They are not grown up yet and still need you.  I might argue that they need you more now than ever.  Set age requirements and parameters for social media usage.  The kids want boundaries and they like to be able to blame you the parents so they don’t look uncool.  

It’s too hard to do school and work a part time job for many kids. Their primary job is student right now.  Most of them say they have to work to pay for college, but my bet is that the $100 or so a week is not going to savings and the loss of sleep and time to work on school isn’t worth it.  If a teen can put that time towards getting those high grades, the scholarships will pay off far more than the part time job.  I am all for summer employment, though!  

One of the biggest issues I see with teens is lack of sleep.  The teen brain is not ready to go to sleep too early but school start times work against them.  The majority of my teens in class and my own kids can’t get more than 6 hours of sleep a night and we all know that isn’t enough at this age.  Also, I am amazed at how many kids are allowed to go to concerts or other late night events (sometimes even out of town!) on a school night and then they are allowed to sleep in or just miss the entire next day.  That is not an excused absence and the parents lie and say they were sick.  A schedule will still be important if they are doing virtual school.  Sit down with them to create their schedule allowing for lots of input from them.  Talk to them about using a paper planner and the fact that some people still like to see their week laid out on paper.  

Speaking on this topic, you are not your kids’ friend. They have plenty of friends(hopefully) but they only have two parents.  It sucks to say “no” and be the bad guy but you have to sometimes.  One of my sons was recently mad at me for not letting him go to a party that started at 9:30 when he had theatre and choral auditions early the next day.  Come on parents, why did the party need to start that late?  Because I said “no” he was upset and it spurred a long conversation.  The next time he asked to do something with that group it was a 9:00 p.m. movie on a Friday that didn’t get out until 11:30.  I was able to say “yes” to that.  

Listen more than you talk – Gosh this is so hard for me.  I have found that if I let my boys come to me and if I don’t throw 20 questions at them they will tell me more.  I think teens are like cats – do not approach; let them come to you.  Ha!  Just kidding, but many of the best conversations occur in the car when you don’t have to make eye contact,too.  Look for ways to be one on one with your teen.  Also, always start with a positive before a negative comment.  I do this in my parent teacher conferences, too.  Example:  “I really love ____’s enthusiasm, however he needs to save it for the pep rally.  In my class, I expect him to act like a civilized human.”  

Pick your battles.  Does that horrible shirt really matter that much?  Does it really matter that he wore that shirt two days ago?  Teens are figuring out their style and they have favorites and it’s probably not that big of a deal.  Say yes when you can say yes.

Let them email the teachers with questions and take care of their own business.  Let them call to make their own hair appointments.  In college, you aren’t allowed to contact professors anymore.  They need to learn how to do this when they are under your roof.  Do not rescue them every time they forget something at home.  They have to figure out how to deal with the consequences.  Boy, am I glad I let them do this most of high school.  They need this ability now!  

Don’t create roadblocks for success.  I have already touched on this but I cannot tell you how hard it is to miss school at the high school level.  We have 7 classes a day and so that could mean 7 assignments.  If they miss 2 days, that becomes 14 assignments.  Help your kids to be at school on time almost every day.  Sometimes the school calendar isn’t convenient but I have had many students tell me that their parents are insisting they miss school and they don’t want to.  I have also had kids have to miss school to babysit for siblings. 

Understand the teen brain and their chemistry to some degree.  Teens are very implusive.  Sometimes they don’t know why they act the way they do.  Remember that they are not fully formed yet. 

Keep saying I love yous even when they don’t say it back.  I have one son who tells me he loves me multiple times a day.  The other finds it much harder.  I will often text the I love yous or the I am so proud of yous.  Remember that teen language is through texting.  I have heard one student talk about the funny gifs their parent sends them and how it makes them feel loved.  

Find things to praise and laugh with your teens.  They are really fun at this age.  They can watch the same movies now and get the more mature humor.  Look for stand up comedians on t.v. or take them to a comedy show.  They really love music at this age.  They are in a constant state of earbuds in ears.  Remember how much music helped you as a teen?  I wrote lyrics out on all of notebooks.  

Try to keep some shred of self esteem for yourself!  I almost think there should be workshops for parents of teens or maybe even support groups.  I really miss my sweet little boys and the simple days we had.  But, I love the men they are becoming.  I love my students, too, and cherish keeping in touch with them after they graduate.  

What have I forgotten? 

Amy 

We’ve come a long way since a year ago!  I hope you have liked re-reading this or reading it for the first time!  Advice for the college years?  

Monday, August 18, 2020

What a weekend! I hope yours was good! I know life is probably starting to get crazy for most right about now. I’m linking up with Heather, Tanya and others here.

I’m going to be honest – I didn’t get many great photos because a lot was going on. I have made the comment to many that the two hardest times to have twins have been ages zero-one and college prep time! My boys (including Tom) aren’t big on photos and I tried to be respectful of this day for my boys. The Covid times made it a bit different than the traditional move in day, too, I can imagine. We don’t know anything different, of course!

Trying to get a picture of both boys with Ernie! Jack’s stuff in my car behind them. Mason’s stuff in Tom’s car.

First we drove to Mason’s dorm and the helpers swarmed (but asked first if we wanted help) and we didn’t have to lift a finger. Everyone was masked. Jack and I were behind Tom and Mason.

I took a photo later – they had written dorm info. on the car.

We parked cars and all went to Mason’s dorm first. His roommate had moved in earlier that morning and his parents were gone. Mason didn’t want much help (and he needed to get to know his roommate because they were randomly placed) so I headed to help Tom and Jack.

Jack’s roommate that he had randomly assigned to him ended up not coming so Jack gets a private room.

Mason came to see Jack’s space. Apparently they are not allowed in other dorms during this phase. He was allowed in on moving day, of course.

The chapel is between their dorms.

There is a beautiful water feature next to the chapel. You can’t tell from the photo but there is water running down.

View of the back of Mason’s dorm.

It’s kind of a park like setting between their dorms.

Walkway between Mason’s dorm/chapel and Jack’s dorm.

A picnic shelter at the end of the path.

I don’t know if the grills are functional but it reminded me of something you would see in a state park.

Tom setting up Jack’s technology.

Neither boy wanted any help unpacking. They both immediately set to work and we just kind of observed. They did want us to take empty bags and bins home that they didn’t want or need.

Jack’s wardrobe, fridge, and microwave. This is all provided in both dorms.

This is the main dining hall. They have the tables distanced and signs that say “sanitized”. The food will be already boxed up and grab and go.

The mascot is the knight and this is a prominent statue on campus.

Everyone got a bag with three masks, a thermometer (they have to do an online health screening each day),

and because it is a Catholic university a small bottle of holy water with this sweet blessing on the back. Even though it is Catholic, they are very inclusive of all religions, and all people in general.

Mason sent me this photo later – he and his roommate put this shelf together.

Parents were invited to grab a meal and then there was a movie that we could stay for at 8:30 but we were done with move in by 4:00 and there weren’t many people hanging around. They divided the move in day into two days because of Covid. We could tell the boys wanted us to make ourselves scarce, too. So, we headed home around 5:00. I didn’t cry at all with them. We hugged and said good-bye. I did cry a bit on the way home, though. They are only 30 minutes away, but it’s still very weird for them not to be living with us. Tom and I came home, ate leftovers, and were just tired and drained. I did have trouble sleeping and I still can’t figure out if I should keep their bedroom doors open or closed. It’s sad both ways!

Saturday around noon Jack wanted us to bring a couple of things so we did (this was always a tentative plan on the table) and we took him to get a couple more things at a nearby Walmart and then got him some Cane’s chicken to take back to his room. He didn’t want us to come in even though we could have because it was moving day two. So, we said good-bye again and dropped off a bag to Mason, too – he came down and got it and we said good-bye to him, too, and left.

We were invited out on our friends’ boat that evening and it was lovely. We cruised and ate pizza on the boat and it was so nice to kind of celebrate being empty nesters.

Sunday we went out on our boat with our canine boy.

And, that’s about it.

Today as you are reading this I am working to try to figure out my plan for online teaching for the first 6 weeks of school. I have a lot to do and hopefully it will distract me from missing my boys.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, August 14, 2020

Today’s Friday Favorites is going to be short and sweet! I couldn’t even bother to type out “Friday Favorites” for my title, right? Check out other posts here!

How was your week? Mine was good but I got a case of “tech neck” from working behind my laptop. I need to stretch more, take more breaks, and figure out a schedule! But, the problem is that my schedule will change again in another week. Ha!

I don’t know why I found this so funny. This is an ear mask to keep you from hearing all the media crazy.

This week I got 1,000 likes on my blog! I really like WordPress. If you have ever wanted to start a blog, I say go for it and use WordPress!

I started working Monday from the dining room table. I decided to not use my basement desk right now. I like being upstairs and seeing the sun. I am drinking out of a Mason jar this week and burning a candle. These little things make me happy.

I love my blue light blocking glasses. I washed my hair on Sunday night and curled my hair Monday morning. I put on earrings and a blouse.

I started trying to drink a gallon of water a day last week. This is so hard! I actually bought a gallon jug to keep refilling just to help me measure. I drink less than 2 cups of coffee in the morning and then drink water the rest of the day. I have not gotten through the full gallon in a day yet!

I don’t know why I’m late to the Glade candle/plug in game. I guess I just assumed it would be too artificial which I hate. I love my Cashmere Woods and my Hawaiian and now for my September month of apple I want to try

Apple of My Eye

Apple Cinnamon

And, this is unrelated to apples, but I have a feeling I might love this – Fall Night Long!

Anyone tried any of these?

After I get school under way, I want to do my September apple theme. Here is some inspiration.

I’m so excited for apple decor and apple recipes!

I ordered a college t-shirt to wear to move in day! I wanted to wear a kimono over it, but that may be too much for moving!

I hope you had a wonderful week and I wish you a happy Friday and happy weekend!

Amy

Thursday, August 13, 2020

I have been doing some reflecting on my freshman year of college because tomorrow is the big day for my boys! I have also been showing my photos to my boys and taking a walk down memory lane. I kept photo albums with captions, people! This is gold! Ha! Oh, 18 year old Amy, you had so much to learn!

I am from Southern Indiana but I really wanted to go out of state. I did apply to schools in Indiana while at the same time applying to three colleges in Kentucky. Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky (about 30 minutes from Lexington) ended up the winner for me. It was less than two hours from my house so it wasn’t that far away. I am not sure why I ultimately chose a small school. I did apply to some big schools, too. Small schools can often be more generous with scholarship money and I know that had a lot to do with it. I wanted to see where I got the most money in scholarships. Do not overlook small private colleges for your kids. We found out it’s a lot like buying a car and the sticker price does not end up being the final price. Alumni give generously and there is a lot of money to be given to desirable students.

Fun fact: My boys have also chosen a small private college in Kentucky like I did. They will be paying less in 2020 than I had to in 1990 with their scholarships!

This was my first dorm. I loved living in the dorm and I stayed on the weekends! That was when I made my best friends! Our dorm rooms had sinks and mirrors but you had to use the communal showers and toilets. I can’t believe the Ritz-Carlton style dorm suites these days! My boys are going to have a traditional dorm room like I did.

My first dorm room with my roommate Heather. We met in July at orientation because we were next to each other in a line! We roomed together at orientation and decided to room together in the fall after that orientation experience. We ended up rooming together most of college and then for four years after college – I have lots more stories about Heather but that’s for another day! Did we not have AC? I don’t remember being hot at all!

I believe this photo is from my family’s first visit later on in the fall.

A typical posed picture before going out! Notice all these styles are back! Heather, my roommate is next to me on the right. I am on the very end on the right.

We were doing the “college girl pose” before smart phones!

Freshman year spring break – we drove to Florida in a rental car. There were four girls and we met some guys from our college down there along with other new “friends”!

My other bestie also named Heather! It’s so funny to me that I found my people basically the minute I stepped foot on the campus.

I went in thinking I would double major in Spanish and Political Science and then go to law school. I ended up majoring in Spanish, minoring in Political Science, and getting a secondary education endorsement at the same time. I fell in love with my first education class that I took “just in case” sophomore year and the rest is history! I wrote for the college newspaper, took photos for the college newspaper, had a radio show with one of the Heathers and another guy, taught Spanish lab classes, and rushed Kappa Delta sorority. I did junior year abroad in Valencia, Spain and I did my student teaching my senior year. I graduated in four years, unfortunately! I had a wonderful experience! If I could do it again, I would.

I am so so so nervous and excited for my boys! I am so grateful they get to go with the pandemic, but I am so sad that they will be doing so in a mask. The bright side is that they don’t know any different because they have never done this before! I got teary eyed on each and every visit to their college because I just loved it so much and felt such comfort there. I kept this to myself, though, I swear!

Thanks for indulging me in this little walk down memory lane! What was your college experience like? Would you do anything differently?

Amy

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

I miss the nail salon! I haven’t been since the beginning of March. I think I could safely go now while wearing a mask, but I guess I have gotten into the habit of NOT going and I’m choosing to do mine at home right now. Have you been to the nail salon?

Boy, do I miss a pedicure! I got spoiled and didn’t do my own for YEARS. It was probably my primary method of self-care, you know? But, I mentioned before that doing my own pedicure is helping with another of my pandemic goals – increased flexibility. I do not need witnesses to me doing my own pedicure, o.k.?

I think I’m pretty good at doing my own nails because I have had over 40 years of practice off and on and have always loved polish! I’m always trying to find the bright side and one of them is getting to change my colors more frequently. After 2-3 weeks of dip I would get very tired of the color.

My method gives me about 4-5 days of a manicure and that is with living life – getting in the river, doing all.the.dishes that more cooking at home creates, and just everything else one does with their hands on the daily.

I really gravitate towards blues right now. I am totally a seasonal person when it comes to polish. I do whites, blues, pinks, greens in the summer and save the darker colors for the fall and winter.

I am a bit of a nail polish snob. I just think I get a much better result if I use a higher end polish. My two favorites are OPI and Essie both for the quality and the color selection.

Tip: Spend a LONG time shaking up your bottle. Have you watched a professional nail tech? They do this. If your polish is a bit older, add a small drop of acetone or polish remover and then proceed to shake. This will really help.

Step One: Make sure your nail beds are clean and dry. If you have just cut and filed, wash your hands and spend a long time drying. Then, you may also want to do a quick swipe of acetone or remover over your nails.

Step Two: Buy this Gelous Base Coat or another base coat. I don’t know exactly why but it really helps the color to adhere. Do a very thin coat of this and let it dry.

Step Three: Have you noticed how little polish the professional nail tech uses? That is the key. Do a very thin first coat of your color and let dry. They start in the middle of the nail and then do the outer edges. Don’t freak if you get outside the lines because you can always fix when dry with a q-tip or a corner of paper towel. If you try to fix when wet you will make a bigger disaster.

Step Four: Do another thin and final coat of your color. This coat matters more so take a bit more time.

Final Step: After letting the second coat dry, now apply a very thin layer of top coat. I like the OPI brand for this and it is what I already had, but there are other good ones, too.

Note: I really think the more expensive brands of polish dry quicker, too. And, remember your coat is so thin that it will dry quicker naturally because of that alone!

OPI: Thicker brush that is good for pedicures and maybe those with bigger or wider nails.

Essie: Tiny brush great for fingers or those with small nails. Great for children.

Another note: I think darker colors look better on shorter nails. Maybe this is just a personal preference?

Do you do your own nails?

Any tips for me or others?

Happy polishing!

Amy

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Do these posts ever get old? They don’t for me because TJ’s always have something new to discover!

Look at this beautiful empty aisle! Sorry for the glare from the sun! On this last trip I went at 12:30 and there was no line at all. I kind of thought it could be busy with lunch break people, but it wasn’t.

Do not skip over their “toiletry section”. I love this daily moisturizer with SPF and it is quite similar to Oil of Olay I think. I tried the eye cream and the gel moisturizer for the first time and I am a fan! I did not like the shampoo bar. It doesn’t give me enough suds but I did like the peppermint smell.

The green chiles, the corn, and the black beans are staples. I love to cut and freeze the ciabatta bread. The muffin in a cup didn’t work for us. Mason followed directions and came up with a soupy mess. We tried to microwave for longer and it just didn’t work. Maybe we got a dud. Maybe I will ask an employee on my next visit.

I love their frozen vegetables. On this trip I got the broccoli. I love the light frozen mac and cheese and I think their salmon quality is really good.

These are also staples. I really love all of these products.

Look at the bag of the classic potato chips:

Potatoes, oil, salt. That is it. You can feel better eating their products!

Sweet treats – these are really good little cupcakes, sugar cones, caramel popcorn, and chocolate bars.

I hope maybe you learned about a new product today! What new (or old) products have you recently found?

Amy

Monday, August 10, 2020

As you are reading this I am getting ready to “go back to work”! I have a bit of a nervous stomach because I have really enjoyed no work/school responsibilities for the last two months. Last year was stressful when you combine my boys being seniors and my school year and then of course what happened in March… My nerves also have to do with this being the last week of my boys at home. Move in day is Friday. I would appreciate your good vibes that I can keep it together and help them to not feel anxious. Thank you in advance – you all are the best!

I am linking up today with Heather, Tanya (Good luck to you, Tanya! I feel a kinship because she is also sending her girl to college!), and many more.

The wonderful weather continued into the weekend and Friday morning Ernie and I had a nice walk and I just spent my “last week day” (I am really milking this, aren’t I?) at home all day long.

I sadly finished this book. I didn’t like the sequel as much but I did like it. The relationship between Jonah and Calla started bugging me in the sequel. Anyone else? I won’t get into details but there were some thing that started making me mad!

I did a new nail color. I have a post coming this week on how to do a good at home manicure. I’m not an expert, but I’ve learned some tricks.

Tom came home from work a bit early and the boys wanted to stay home and eat Cane’s for dinner. We got on the boat around 5:30 to head to Captain’s Quarters because we knew it would get busy. They were bringing back live music outside and we like the group. They tried live music in June but someone messed it up for all by not following the rules! We always say that we don’t go out at night nearly enough.

We got a prime parking spot and ordered some spinach queso. This is one of my favorite things on their menu.

And, then our friends met us there. We stayed about 6 feet apart – don’t worry!

And, this gives you an idea of how many boats started arriving!

They are allowed 100% capacity outside but only 25% inside. By staying on the boat we get faster service and have our own table and are able to socially distance better.

We took our friends on a cruise after eating dinner – forgot to take photos of the other food.

And, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset.

I am kind of mad at myself for not going to the farmer’s market more this summer. They have moved it back to their normal space but masks are still required. Some places won’t take cash for safety reasons. They are also counting the number of people that come in and out so that it doesn’t get too crowded. I avoided any tents that had long lines or too many people around. Some people were not giving me my space so I walked away!

I ended up with jam, a candle, bread, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, an onion, a green pepper, and fresh mozzarella.

I worked a bit on our college piles. We had more Amazon supplies come in.

Then, Tom, Ernie and I went swimming for a bit.

We passed the riverboat The Belle of Louisville. I think they have resumed some of their lunch and sightseeing cruises. It is a tradition for seniors at our high school to get to take a senior cruise one evening in May and that got cancelled. We have been on the boat a few times for various things, though.

I picked up Jimmy John’s for our lunch.

We left around 3 and it was getting so crowded in the cove area!

We got Mexican with our boys for dinner but I forgot photos. And, we watched two episodes of Scrubs together.

I had taped this show from Friday night. Anyone watch it? Martha Stewart shares her farm and teaches us about tree care, pet care, etc. It looked interesting. She is really knowledgeable but her tone comes off as very condescending.

Then, finally, Mason and I watched the first episode of Big Brother which I had taped from Wednesday! We started this tradition a few years ago. I am not sure how we will watch it after this week, but I will probably save it to watch with him sometime.

I started this. It seems very much like Eleanor Oliphant so far.

And, Sunday afternoon we took the boat out again. I don’t know if we’ve ever done three days in a row before. The weather was just too good and I think we know these days are fleeting!

I wanted to show you our river gas station. Boats can pull up on either side. The attendant throws you a rope and helps tie you up.

They will pump for you usually but it was busy.

They also sell ice, drinks, and snacks.

Ernie was happy to be with us.

And, we were happy to have our friends tie up with us. We chatted for a few hours and it was so nice!

So, we had a very full weekend and I’m grateful for some fun!

How was your weekend?

Thanks for reading,

Amy

Friday, August 7, 2020

Well, this is a Friday I’m not quite ready for…I start back to work on Monday! I guess it’s time, though. The problem is – I don’t really know what work will look like and what my responsibilities will be and that’s hard. I do know that I have two weeks of training and we welcome the students back virtually on Tuesday, August 26. Then, we will continue to be virtual until October 3. Who knows what things will look like by then? Can you tell I don’t do especially well without structure?

Also, a week from today our boys move to college. So. many. feelings. It’s time, I know.

I am linking up today with Andrea, etc. so go right here to see some other Friday Favorites.

Despite my introduction to today’s post, I had a really good week. We had amazing weather! I think my moods are very dependent upon the weather. I just hate the sticky hot humidity and that negatively affects me. This week was unseasonably cool for August! I’m talking sweatshirt in the mornings cool!

Another thing that made the week really good was checking things off of my list like the boys’ doctor appointments and immunization records for college, a couple of social things, getting my professional development hours done…stuff like that.

Let’s start with a favorite on Monday. This sweet student who graduated with Jack and Mason got placed in a really high college Spanish course and said she was nervous so I offered to go over verb tenses on my patio. We have known her since kindergarten and I made sure her mom was o.k. with it and that we were 6 feet apart. I made her my iced coffee because she is a big coffee lover. It was nice to see her and get back into my craft!

I took my laptop outside the next day for a meeting and part of my professional development. It’s important to change work scenery when working from home maybe? I had my breakfast outside, too.

Then, a friend brought lunch over from a restaurant and we sipped rose on the patio while enjoying it. I forgot to take a food photo but this is how I set us up at opposite ends of the table. It was such a treat.

I went to Trader Joe’s which is always fun and there was no line at 12:30. I keep getting lucky with the random times I pick to go! Now watch me have a long line next time! I have a post coming next week about some new products I found.

I did a recent purchases post on Wednesday and showed you this necklace from Noonday Collection. The big earrings are my only other piece from them. I have been wearing them a bunch and the little silver and gold studs when I have to wear a mask because big earrings and masks don’t really work. I like the gold and silver theme I have going.

I loved having to put on leggings and a sweatshirt for my morning coffee this week. These are my 4th of July popsicle leggings. I am totally mismatched!

I put my Hobby Lobby clearance items out this week, too. I am itching to make my patio into a fall wonderland, but I know it’s too early!

Even though it’s been cooler, the mosquitoes are really getting bad. I find that this fan helps keep them away.

I continued my weekly library curbside pickup.

I saw these recommended on someone’s blog I am sure.

A big Target order of college stuff came in – clip on bed lamps, lotion, vitamins, more masks, medicines, etc. – they put this in with my order for free, I guess. These smell amazing! Maybe they knew college boys could create major smelly funk in their dorm rooms.

It was a treat to sit on a patio for brunch/lunch with Tom one day this week during his work day. We went to Wild Eggs which has breakfast and lunch food.

I got Mr. Potato Head casserole with tons of veggies.

Tom got an omelette. He doesn’t understand blog photos of food.

I want to leave you with some funny memes I “collected” this week.

Isn’t this true?

Why don’t they understand this? Ha!

Oh yes! I used my fair share of Aquanet!

Yes, my thoughts exactly!

What were your faves this week? Leave me one in the comments!

What are your weekend plans?

We have a chance to hear some live music! Two of our favorite local groups will be outside at a restaurant and if we feel like it’s a safe situation we may get to listen to one or both. I hope to boat one day. The boys and I are going to start on the packing of their clothes. I don’t want to leave that until the last minute. I am assuming I will be working all next week from 7:30-3:30 ish and I know I will be tired at the end of the day of staring at a screen, you know? I do have Friday off and that is the boys’ move in day.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Go back to yesterday’s post for back to school tips here if you are interested. It seems like many bloggers don’t blog on Thursdays and many blog readers don’t read on Thursdays, either, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it!

Have a lovely weekend,

Amy

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Today I wanted to share some back to school tips for this weird, weird year. Please leave any additional tips in the comments and readers – make sure to check those because you all always give me so many good suggestions. Most of my tips are directed at the “at home” learners but some will also apply to “in person” learners, too.

First, let me start by saying that I have taught high school for 26 years – you may not be there yet with your kids but many of these things will still apply to the younger grades.

My kids are no longer in k-12 and my heart goes out to all of you with kids still in the school system.

So, my advice comes from experience on both ends of the school spectrum – as a teacher and as a parent.

Here we go…

1. Still go back to school shopping no matter what your year is starting with. Many families have a tradition or ritual and this is important to kids. It won’t look the same, but it signals that it is a new year. Maybe get that new pair of tennis shoes, too. We used the beginning of the school year as a time to check sizes and update a few necessities. Take photos of your kids shopping in their masks.
2. Your attitude as the parent is so important. Find things to laugh about. Look at the bright side. Some days this will be easier than others. Try not to complain in front of the kids. It’s so hard but it’s so important!
3. Remember that this is temporary. Try not to look too far into the future; take it one week at at time.
4. Celebrate your child’s new grade. Have a back to school dinner the night before it “starts”. If they are going into 5th grade you could serve things in groups of 5 or look for things with “5” on it in the stores. Be silly. You will have fun and so will they. This is what they will remember – not the bad parts. Take photos!
5. Come up with a structure and a schedule. Kids really need this – even high schoolers need this. When my kids were in elementary, they weren’t allowed to come out of their room until their uniform was on (I had a hard time getting them to do this if it wasn’t the first thing they did). I know that sounds mean, but it made our mornings better. They showered at night and that made the morning better. You still need smooth mornings even at home because it affects the whole day. I seem to recall one of mine sleeping in their uniform for awhile to “save time”. Type up this schedule. Type up these “rules”. Maybe put that on your children. They might think coming up with the schedule and rules is a lot of fun. Most of us crave a schedule by the end of summer.
6. Consider an at home school uniform. Kids aren’t that different from adults. If you wear pjs all day, you will act lazy all day. There is nothing wrong with buying 5 different colored polos and designating a color for each day. Younger kids would love this, I bet. Or, continue to use your days of the week closet organizer. Maybe even do some silly spirit days from home – mismatch day, school colors day, favorite college team day, why not? Maybe the parents can join in the fun.
7. This is super important: Communicate early and often with teachers and principals. This is new to all of us. I just read a blogger that said her 1st grader is expected to be online from 8:30-3:30 with only an hour break for lunch. Seriously? That is just wrong in my opinion. I am looking for ways for my high schoolers to do work not on a screen! I am planning on having them write in a spiral notebook and use an actual textbook for some of their work. Why on Earth should a child that young be working like a 9-5 employee? Nope! This could affect the rest of their years of learning.
8. If you can, hire a trusted teen or tween (I actually think younger might be great) to help with some of the work. This works well if you and spouse or one of you works from home. The helper is the one helping, but you are still there just in case.
9. I think it’s o.k. to form a small group or “pod” as they are calling them to learn together. You would have to establish norms for safety purposes but a group of a few families working together might be something positive. If you and your family have all been tested and you have an older person in your life who is willing (grandparent, aunt, etc.) I even think that would be o.k. You WILL need a support system.
10. Some of my suggestions really won’t work for people struggling financially. It breaks my heart for parents that were barely hanging on before. Look into community YMCA or other programs that might be available for some help. Also, I know that there are lots of schools in my area that require service hours. Maybe you can find a trusted teen to use this as “service hours”.
11. We most likely will be wearing masks for awhile. Make it as fun as possible by letting your child pick a favorite character or picking out their masks. Order the plain white and then let them decorate with fabric markers.
12. There is so much for kids to learn that isn’t technically “school subject material”. Reading is so important. Have a designated reading time each afternoon. When my boys gave up their naps they still had to have quiet reading time in bed. We also used the guest bed as a place to read. It’s time to teach life skills – cooking, doing laundry, cleaning – you can incorporate math skills in many of these things. Kids are great and usually so eager to learn new things.
13. Try to limit kids’ exposure to the news. They need to be protected from this as much as possible in my opinion. Kids today are dealing with anxiety like never before. This even applies to teens. Limit their exposure to the doom and gloom news stories.
14. Keep social connections in any way that you can. Still celebrate any and all holidays or silly calendar days that come up. Maybe it would be fun to research some holidays from other countries right now and celebrate those, too.
15. Talk to your boss. I have learned through the years to not have verbal diarrhea. I used to go on and on and it detracted from my message. Maybe something like this, “As, you know, our kids will be learning from home for the time being. What are your thoughts on flexibility with me completing my work tasks? ” Maybe already have a couple of proposals in mind – you splitting some time between home and office or how you would effectively work from home for the time being? Hopefully employers have already started this conversation with employees.
16. It is time to have a true partnership with your spouse. Sit down when both parties are relaxed and come up with a plan to divide and conquer. A blogger I read split the school day with her husband. He took morning shift while she did work tasks and then she took over at lunch so that he could work.

Please leave other thoughts, tips, recommendations in the comments!

I am praying for all of you and whatever you are dealing with in this crazy season of life.

Amy

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Many bloggers have started talking about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I am not a card holder so by the time I can shop it may be too late. I used to have one, but we streamlined our finances several years ago and I only have one credit and one debit card now.

I tend to get excited when bloggers talk about products even if it isn’t something I need! If everyone else is shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale then to be in I want to, too! In case you aren’t familiar, this is a unique sale in that it is not end of season stuff. It is fall and winter stuff! But, you really need to be careful in my opinion and not just jump on the bandwagon (like I have done in the past). I would inventory your stuff from last fall and winter first and really think about your lifestyle and your needs. Things go quickly so you can always order and send back because they do have awesome customer service and an awesome return policy. This also may be a way to get something you wanted that is out of stock. If someone returns it, you may get lucky.

It might be worthwhile to buy some bigger ticket items that don’t go out of style or that you wanted last season and never pulled the trigger on. I think it’s also a great time to get some jewelry or makeup.

Here are some things I’m thinking about:

A second Barefoot Dreams cardigan. I have the first one they ever made and I wear it almost every day in the winter. I would maybe like the baby or the circle.

Something Patagonia – a vest or a jacket. High quality outdoor brands like Patagonia and North Face last forever. I have a North Face jacket that I bought years ago and it looks like new. Our diaper bag for our twins was a North Face backpack. It still looks new 18 years later and one of the boys used it for his school backpack for awhile. It made me so nostalgic and happy.

Mac lip glass lip gloss – I wrote down all of Sheaffer’s lip colors and this would be a great time to get some.

Do you shop the sale? What are you looking at this year?

So, let’s talk about a recent hodge podge of things I have purchased – in addition to all the college prep stuff for the boys!

First of all, I read Mix and Match Mama’s run down of scents. I have been looking for a summer perfume all summer long. I finally gave up and decided I would use the bum bum cream as my smell. I have a fall/winter scent that I love, but my summer scent was tricky. Why do I need one when there is no one within 6 feet to smell me? Yeah, I’m not sure!

I decided to try two discovery sets from Sephora and it came to around $60 for both so it was a bit of a splurge. They are very small – sample size – except for the top one below.

You guys, this brand – I had never heard of it before. They all smell amazing! I love them all.

I should also tell you a bit about myself – I am very sensitive to smell. I hate anything artificial, too sweet, or too floral.

This set below is just kind of meh for me. The scents I have tried did not seem to last as long. They do have cute names like “Lazy Sunday Morning”. You don’t really want to know what I think I smell like on a lazy Sunday morning, by the way – coffee breath mixed with teeth that haven’t been brushed?

Anyway, I am happy to play around with these summer scents. Actually, many of them work into fall and winter.

I had to buy this book from Amazon because my library didn’t have it in their catalog. I liked the first one The Simple Wild enough that I wanted to read this right away.

I think I read about this in Lisa’s Two Cents blog. You put this on salmon and grill or bake and it is amazing! I found it at Kroger. I got rave review from my hub and my one salmon loving son.

I was craving a hot dog recently so we had them for dinner one night. We only eat them maybe 3-4 times a year. I had hear about these Hawaiian hot dog buns and it made them so good!

You may remember me talking about Noonday Collection and the earrings I bought at the beginning of the summer. They have jewelry made from artisans all over the world. I bought this necklace – it’s gold and silver and you can loop as many times as you would like.

They come packaged so cute in these little pouches.

Just like most years, I am sick of my summer clothes! That is kind of surprising since I haven’t worn many of them this year. I am starting to think of fall clothing and shoes. I have been curious about these Danskos for a few years and an art teacher at my school has them and I always covet them. What do you think? Danskos are kind of so ugly they are cool? Kind of like Birkenstocks?

What have you purchased recently?

Amy