Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 10 (High School and Middle School Orientation, Haircuts, Date Night, Parent Orientations, High School Drop-In, and Back to School Prep)

Last week was our final week of summer break, and the name of the game was back-to-school prep!  We had several events at the school and spent most of our days getting prepped and ready to send the kids back… it wasn’t the most fun way to spend the last week of our break, but I don’t think any of us really minded.  By then, we’d accomplished everything we’d set out to do this summer, so it was nice to just spend a lot of the time at home.  And this also allowed us to be fully prepared, making this past Monday one of our most successful first days back to school to date!

Monday, July 28

Monday morning, I was up at 7:30, I showered and did all of my morning things, and then we were out the door to take Jacob to freshmen orientation for high school.  Waaaahhhh.  I cannot believe we have a high schooler.  It is flying by, my friends.

Olivia and I dropped him at school, and then she and I headed to a hair salon to get her hair done for school.  She is currently wanting to grow it down to her butt, but she desperately needed a trim, and we also asked the girl to put some long layers in it to give it some body.  Her hair is super fine like mine, so we don’t have a lot of volume, and layers definitely do wonders for that.

After we were done there, we went to Publix to do all of our grocery shopping.  I’ve been shopping at Walmart for a few years now for groceries since their prices are better than Publix, but after Jacob’s birthday cake debacle at Walmart last week, I decided to boycott them for a while.  And may I say that while Publix may be more expensive, you truly do get what you pay for… it is SUCH a better experience shopping there than at Walmart.  Everyone is so kind, everyone is so helpful, nobody watches you like a hawk at self-checkout like you are some kind of thief, nobody yells at you if your kid touches a case of beer (hehe), and they would never forget to make a birthday cake.  ;o)

My little helper pushed the cart while I shopped, and we were in and out of there quickly, and I had plenty of time to get the groceries home and put away plus enjoy a cup of hot tea before I had to pick up Jacob from orientation. 

While I picked him up, Olivia turned on a movie and stayed home since Brian was working from home.

Jacob said that orientation went really well.  He got to find his locker, and they did scavenger hunts to familiarize the kids with the campus (even though he knows where everything is since this will be his 11th year there).  He also got to hang with his friends for a bit, and they had pizza for lunch. 

When we got home, Brian, Olivia, and I had lunch, and then Jacob finally finished up his summer homework.  He is doubling up on math this year, and since he was already placed ahead in math last year, that means his second math class is typically taken in 11th grade.  The teacher is also tough because she used to be a college professor, so the summer homework for that class was no joke. 

She assigned a Khan Academy assignment, and the kids had to keep taking it over and over again until they got a 90.  Jacob ended up having to take it three times, but he finally passed!  The professor did confirm later in the week at “Meet the Teacher” that every single student ended up taking it multiple times, so that make Jacob feel better.  He actually took it the fewest times out of everyone in the class.  Lol.  I don’t think he was prepared for it to be as challenging as it was since he has always made near-perfect grades in math.  So finishing that was a HUGE relief for all of us.

While he worked on that, Olivia and I worked on her Wicked puzzle together for a while.  We ended up getting a huge chunk of it done, and that only left a little bit.

After Jacob was done with his math, he went through all of his Google classrooms again to make sure his summer homework was complete for every subject, and he also cleaned out his email inbox, so he was ready for a fresh start in the new year.

That afternoon, Jacob played video games with his friend, Alex, online – a new thing that we’re letting him do now that he’s in high school.  Prior to this, we never allowed any video games to be connected to the internet, but this summer, we allowed him to start playing with his friends online.  We do still have everything on lockdown so he can’t chat with strangers, though.  Safety is always our top priority, but we know it’s also important to give new privileges as they get older and earn our trust.

Olivia spent the afternoon crafting, and I spent the afternoon catching up on blog reading and working on my blog post for Wednesday.

We had some butter chicken from Sam’s that my friend, Jeannine, had highly recommended, and I steamed some rice and broccoli to have as sides with it.  It was soooo delicious, and we’ll definitely be getting it again!

After dinner, I asked Olivia if she wanted to work on her puzzle some more, and she wasn’t interested because she wanted to finish a craft she had started earlier, so I read my book for a bit. 

The kids got showered later in the evening, and after Olivia’s shower, I taught her how to blow-dry her own hair.  She usually just lets it airdry, or if we need a quick dry, I’ll blow-dry it for her, but now that she’s getting older, I figured it was about that time to teach her how to do it herself. 

I headed out for a walk once the sun went down, and it was a blazing hot 2.41 miles.  I was drenched by the time I was done, so I took a cool shower (which I never do), and then we watched Lego Masters before the kids went to bed.

After the kids got into bed, Brian and I watched a couple of episodes of Friends on Nick at Night and then we went to bed a little earlier than usual, which was probably wise since we had gotten so off track during summer break.

 

Tuesday, July 29

Tuesday morning, I got up and got ready, and then I headed out to an appointment with my therapist.  I was finally able to give her the report that my dizziness and unsteadiness and vertigo are almost totally gone, and she was thrilled.  She has been such a rock for me these last two years during all of this vertigo crap (actually for the last six years), and I’m so very grateful for her.  If you don’t already have a therapist, I urge you to see one, even if you’re not necessarily in a bad place.  I don’t understand the stigma around mental health… mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s good to be established with someone who knows you in case you do come across hard times (which you will eventually… we all do).

When I got home, the kids were finishing up watching TV, and I got changed into my comfy PJ pants like I always do when I’m at home.  I had left on the top that I had already been wearing with a skirt, and when I walked by Jacob, and he said, “That’s a weird outfit.” 

Teenagers.  Lol.

I got some blog reading and blog work done for a bit after that while Jacob and Olivia had some Pokemon card battles, and then we all had lunch together.

My blog post still had a long way to go, so I worked on it all afternoon until Brian got home from work.  He and I had a date night planned – just dinner out alone, nothing major – so we got ready and then dropped the kids at my father-in-law’s house.  They always love spending time over there because they play board games, so they were both excited.

Brian and I headed to dinner at a new Italian restaurant that opened downtown a few months ago.  I ate there with my girlfriends back in the spring and thought it was really good, so Brian had been wanting to try it. 

We had made reservations, so we were seated right away, and we got an appetizer of mozzarella sticks because everyone in our local Foodie Facebook group is always raving about them.  I also ordered a Manhattan (seriously, the best cocktail ever… I cannot get enough) and Brian had a “Godfather 12” which was one of their cocktail specialties.  It had scotch whiskey and tasted very similar to an Old Fashioned, and it was delicious.  Oh, and the mozzarella sticks?  DEFINITELY lived up to the hype.

For the entrees, I got the Local Beef Bolognese (it was delicious) and Brian had the Bucatini & Meatballs.  Even though we took our time, and didn’t rush through, we were still done in about an hour.  We didn’t have any other plans, so we contemplated going to one of the bars to grab another drink, but both of us were too full from the food, so we decided to go to the local craft beer store and grab a few things to stock up on at home. 

We ended up grabbing a new beer and a new bottle of wine to try, and then we headed back to my FIL’s to pick up the kids. 

They were so surprised when we got back because we only ended up being gone a couple of hours.  Haha.

As a matter of fact, we got home so early that I still had enough daylight to go for a walk, so I changed clothes and did just that.  I get a lot of DMs from people about how I’m able to go walk or jog after dinner every night (especially when it’s a big dinner), and my answer is – I don’t know?  For some reason, it always makes me feel better to walk after a meal, I guess just because it helps digestion move faster?  I know it sounds gross to go out in the heat and walk or jog right after eating all that food, but for some reason, it always makes me feel better.  Occasionally, it will make me feel a little blech, but most of the time, it just makes me feel better!

When I got back from my walk, I got showered, we watched some of America’s Got Talent, we got the kids in the bed, I finished my blog post (just in the nick of time!), I did my evening meditation and lay on my neck pillow, and then Brian and I watched trailers for a few shows, but didn’t actually start anything new.

 

Wednesday, July 30

Wednesday morning, I slept until 7:45 and I had a slow morning reading blogs and drinking my hot tea.  I also (finally) started backing up all of the pictures and videos from my computer to my hard drives and Amazon drives.  I was about 7 months behind. 

I got showered and ready, and mid-morning, we headed to the pediatrician’s office to have them check out a rash that Jacob has had near his eye.  They ended up being slammed, so we were there for two hours, but thankfully, we never crossed paths with any sick people.  Whew!

By the time we got home, it was time for a late lunch, and then I helped Jacob organize his binders for school.  He’s required to have one for every single class except for his Honors ASL class, so he had six to put together with tabs and paper and whatnot.  And, of course, he wanted to label the spines because he is his mother’s child.  I was very happy to help with that.  And look how beautiful they turned out.  :o)

While we did that, Olivia started her second AR book for the summer, even though she only had to read one, and then they had some screen time while I did a few things in my office.  One of my affiliate partners was sold to another company, and the other company had kindly migrated all of the data for me, but some of it didn’t translate properly and some of it was missing, so I had to redo tax forms and all of that boring stuff… the not-so-glamorous side of running a blog as a business.  Their website was also not cooperating with me in the least, so I basically wasted the whole afternoon struggling with that, but I got it done!  Olivia also tried on her dress for the wedding she is going to be in.  It obviously needs a good steaming, but it's soooo beautiful!

For dinner, I made fettucine alfredo with steamed broccoli and garlic cheesy bread, and it stormed all through dinner and afterward.  I had some neck pain and fatigue after dinner because my body is still trying to adapt to using my new pillow, so I lay down after dinner for a bit and then got up feeling much better.

It was still pouring rain after my rest, so I gave up on the hope of walking, and I did a stair stepper workout instead.  We watched America’s Got Talent, the kids got in bed, I lay on my pillow and did my meditation, and Brian and I ended the day with another episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty.

 

Thursday, July 31

Thursday morning, I was up at 7:45, and we had a lazy morning.

I did my blog post for Friday from start to finish, I tidied the whole house, and the kids did things independently all morning.  They’re usually connected at the hip when they’re at home, but towards the end of the break, they both started spending some time apart, doing separate things – crafts for Olivia and origami for Jacob.

I got showered before lunch and then we all ate together.  Then I started a blog post for Monday to get a little bit ahead since I’d been neglecting it a good bit during the summer.  I also worked some more on backing up all of our photos from the last few months.  Transferring them to the hard drives takes no time at all but uploading them to Amazon takes some time.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to get out for a bit, so we swung by the library to drop some returns, and then we headed to our local bookshop to pick up a book that my friend, Khristina, had ordered for me. 

Olivia had a makeup guitar lesson that afternoon.  Her teacher was on vacation the last week that the music school was open for summer, so he did the makeup lessons the week that the music school was closed.  They always close for two weeks at the beginning of summer and two weeks at the end of summer, but Mr. Steve saw as many of his kids for lessons so they could get them knocked out before the school year. 

We were the only people in the whole building since nobody else was working, and Steve’s lesson after Olivia ended up being a no-show, so we ended up hanging out with him for a bit after her lesson was over.  Her whole lesson last week was spent trying to decide what to play, so I told her she needs to make her decision by next lesson, so we don’t use the time trying to find songs.  Haha.

When we got home, I backed up more photos, and then I made turkey and cheese biscuit sliders for dinner.  I had to be at high school parent orientation Thursday evening, so I left Brian and the kids and headed there next. 

I sat with Jacob’s best friend’s parents, and then the next hour was all about high school.  I already knew most of the things that they discussed, but I did learn some new information as well, one of the tidbits being that high schoolers don’t have to tuck in their shirts.  While this may not be big news to any of you, this was HUGE news for Jacob because he haaaates tucking in his shirt.  Haha. 

At their school, they are required to wear uniforms, and from Pre-K3 all the way through 8th grade, it is required that all kids tuck in their shirts and wear belts, and Jacob is just not a tuck-in-the-shirt kind of kid.  I had always noticed that it seemed that a lot of high schoolers had their shirts untucked, but I just assumed the teachers were more lenient on the dress code in high school, but nope, the reason they all have their shirts untucked is because they don’t have to tuck them in anymore.  It’s just one of the small things that the school does to give the kids more freedom as they get older.

As I was leaving orientation, the skies looked ominous, and I could see rain off in the distance.  I thought for sure I was going to run into it on the way home, but I never did, and when I checked the radar at home, there was a wall of rain coming towards us, which meant I couldn’t go on my walk.  Boooo. 

I ended up skipping a workout altogether, and that rain never even made it to our house.  It scraped by just north of us so I probably could have walked.  There was some lightning in the area, though, so it was probably best that I didn’t.  Plus, I wanted to fill Jacob in on all that I’d learned at the orientation. 

Our school has always had a no cell phones policy for babies through 8th graders (they can bring them, but they have to be stored in backpacks all day), but prior to this school year, the high schoolers were allowed to take their phones all over campus (but obviously not have them out or use them in class).  Well, this year, they implemented a no cell phone policy for the high schoolers, too, AND I LOVE IT. 

I am so happy that the kids won’t be able to be on their phones in the hallways and at lunch.  We have always had very strict cell phone rules in our house, and I have a lot of teacher friends who will tell you over and over again that the vast majority of all problems that occur at school these days stem from a cell phone whether it’s from social media or a group chat or whatever.  I love that the kids will have no choice but to socialize with each other face to face at lunch with no electronics getting in the way.  I think this is a HUGE win for our school. 

Students will be allowed to take their phones in the school every day, but they have special carts, one for each last period class, and each student will have a slot with their name on it.  Every morning on the way into school, the kids have to swing by the office to drop off their cell phones in their slots, the cases will then be locked all day, and then at the end of the day, the carts get wheeled to their last period classes where they can grab them on the way out the door.  Easy peasy.  I know this has created extra work for the school office, but I’m so grateful they came to this decision.  I am 100% in support of it.  There’s nothing sadder than seeing a group of kids sitting together in silence scrolling through their phones. 

Jacob had already had orientation on Monday, but there were some things that they hadn’t been told (like the untucking of the shirts), so I finished filling him in on everything I had learned at my orientation, and then Olivia showed me the book that she had finished making.

My clever girl had taken regular printer paper and designed (drawn and colored) a whole entire activity book for kids.  She then laminated every single page and laminated all of the cut-out parts for the book, added tape to the back of the pieces so they could be stuck and removed to the activity book over and over again.  The whole book is very intricate, and her creativity just amazes me!

After that, we watched some more of America’s Got Talent, we got the kids in the bed, and then Brian and I ended up watching the entire first Happy Gilmore before bed.  We intended to start it and watch the first half since it was so late (we wanted a refresher before watching the new one) and then watch the second half on Friday, but when we turned it on, Netflix told us it was the last day to watch it, so we had to watch the whole thing.  We ended it at 11:30 so just right in the nick of time before midnight.  Whew!  And Brian and I were wondering – what if you are in the middle of a movie that’s leaving at midnight, and you haven’t finished it before midnight? – do they cut you off?  Do they allow you to finish it?  We were assuming that the movie would just cut off at midnight, but who knows.  I guess I could just Google it.  Hahahaha.

 

Friday, August 1

Friday morning, I slept in until 8 since it was our last weekday of summer break and since B and I had stayed up so late. 

We had a busy, busy day ahead of us, so I hit the ground running once I did get up – breakfast, water plants, dishwasher (the usual), and then I spent a few minutes reading blogs while I sipped my tea.  I also backed up a couple more months of photos and videos, and then I got showered and ready for the day.

Olivia had middle school orientation, so she wanted to dress up all cute and she wanted me to curl her hair, so we got her hair done after I was dressed and ready.

We left the house and headed straight to school for three separate events – high school drop in for Jacob, middle school orientation for Olivia, and middle school parent orientation for me.

We had just enough time to get Jacob’s locker organizer installed, get all of his binders in there, and then walk his entire schedule to meet all of his teachers before I had to be at parent orientation and Olivia had to be middle school orientation.  Brian was waiting for Jacob outside to take him to get his hair cut when he was done, and then Olivia and I moved on to our next events. 

My orientation was the same time as hers, so parents gathered in the auditorium while the kids gathered in the lower school cafeteria.  I already knew everything about middle school, so I probably didn’t need to actually be there, but it was nice to hang out with all of the other mom friends in Olivia’s class. 

Meanwhile, Olivia got to have pizza with all her classmates – so many new ones, too! – and learn what to expect in middle school.  The teachers handed out their boxes of school supplies (with the tissues and Clorox wipes already removed) so the kids could get their stuff in their lockers or take home their binders and organize them over the weekend.

Both orientations ended at noon, and Olivia and I headed to the middle school wing to set up her locker.  We’d brought along her bougie pink organizer, mirror, dry erase board, magnets, etc. and then we put everything in there that could stay.  She wanted to bring home the binder and pencil bag and all the accessories to get them organized, so we kept those with us.

After that, we walked her entire schedule from start to finish and met all her teachers (who we already know), and she compared schedules with a couple of her friends that she hadn’t already compared with at home.  She was thrilled to have her friend, Maren, in her homeroom, her friends, Aubrey and Maggie, in three other classes, and her friend, Caroline, in one other class. 

She is taking Painting 101 for the first three quarters of this school year followed by Intro to TV Production for the last quarter, so we went to meet her art teacher (who she already knows).  Olivia had made her a paintbrush out of her Rainbow Loom rubber bands, and her teacher LOVED it.  I wish I’d taken a picture of it because it was the cutest thing!

Once Olivia was comfortable with all things middle school, she and I headed home where the boys were already.  Jacob had gotten his hair cut and they’d both eaten, and Olivia had already eaten, but I was STARVING because it was almost 2 PM and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

As I was making a quick lunch for myself, a huge storm rolled in, and then it was gloomy and rainy for the rest of the day, which was nice since we had nowhere to be.  The kids settled in to play video games, and I caught up on blog comments and emails, and I worked on a couple of other things in my office.

At 5, there was a break in the rain, so I went for a walk before dinner because I knew more rain was coming.  Since my walk had gotten canceled two nights in a row, I didn’t want to miss it again.  Then when I got back, Brian headed out to pick up takeout while I got showered and in my PJs.

Brian had to have his first colonoscopy the following Monday (just routine because of his age… there is nothing wrong!), so he already had to start eating a specific diet.  The doctor had told him chicken and rice were good, so he got a very plain bowl at Chipotle for himself, and Jacob wanted something from there, too.  Olivia and I didn’t want Chipotle since we’d just had it recently, so he swung by and grabbed Olive Garden for us since it was just a few doors down from Chipotle.

I made an Old Fashioned for Brian and a Manhattan for me while he was gone, and then we ate when he got back with all the food.

After dinner, Brian played video games while the kids showered, and I finished backing up all our photos and videos (finally).  I also made sure we had every single thing we needed for the kids for back-to-school, and then I did my first Bible study in a while.  I put it on hold for a few weeks because it requires me to bend my neck down for a long period of time to read.  The Bible is too heavy to hold straight out in front of my face like a book, and my new doctor didn’t want my head bent over or turned to one side for any extended period of time for the first few weeks of my treatments because he wanted my adjustments to hold, so I had to put the Bible studies on hold.  It was soooo good to get back to it!

After the kids were ready for bed, we finished watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and then Olivia and I ordered a shaggy pink rug for her locker.  Lol.  She and her friends had decorated their lockers to the nines, and they all decided at orientation that they wanted rugs, so we ordered that for her Friday night so it would be here in time for school Monday morning.

After the kids were in bed, Brian and I watched half of the new Happy Gilmore movie.  The kids got in bed so late that we didn’t want to stay up and watch the whole thing.

Saturday, August 2

Saturday, we had nowhere to be except for church and dinner, so we had the whole morning and afternoon free.  We slept until 8:45 AM and then I made homemade waffles for breakfast like I do pretty much every Saturday morning. 

After breakfast, I headed to my office to download some new music that had come out Friday, and I sat with Olivia while she tried on all of her new dance shoes.  Only one of the four pairs fit properly (sigh), so I immediately placed new orders for the next sizes up, and then I helped her get her binder and pencil bag organized and ready for Monday. 

Jacob tried on his new shoes that had arrived for the wedding he’s going to be in (they fit!), and then the kids did their laundry while I washed a load of towels, tidied my closet (and cleaned out a few things), and organized all of my shoes.

Meanwhile, Brian tested out his new electric weed eater and blower.  He switched to an electric mower a few weeks ago, and he loves it so much that he decided to go all electric.  That way, we can get rid of all of the gas cans!  And he’ll have more room in our outdoor shed since the electric stuff takes up less space. 

We all ate lunch together, and then I washed a small load of clothes.  I got Olivia’s shoe returns ready, did a bunch of other random things on my list, and I did my Bible study before it was time to get ready for church.

A huge storm blew in while we were getting ready, and the worst of it hit our house as we had to leave, so the drive to church wasn’t fun.  I was glad that I was a passenger and not the driver.  Haha.

By the time we reached church, the rain had stopped, so we headed in.  Mama Cass was the only other person there from our family as everyone else was out of town or decided not to come because of the weather.  Our family was asked to take down the gifts (the bread and wine) during the offertory procession, and I was finally able to do it because all my dizziness and unsteadiness has completely disappeared!!  We were asked to take them down last year sometime, and I had to decline because I was so worried about walking down the aisle with all my unsteadiness, but this time I felt great, and I’m SO DANG GRATEFUL to have finally found this doctor who is healing me.

After church, we got Mama Cass to her car and then we followed her to her house so she could drop her car and get in ours to ride to dinner.  We met Momma and Daddy at our favorite Mexican place, and the seven of us had dinner.  Brian had to stick to a bland diet, so he didn’t have any salsa, but he did sneak a couple of bites of cheese dip with his chicken and rice.  Haha.

After dinner, Momma and Daddy took Mama Cass home, so we headed straight home, and since we got home so early, I decided to walk again.  It wasn’t raining when I left, and there was nothing on the radar, but about 10 minutes into my walk, it started sprinkling, and it sprinkled the whole rest of the way.  We have had loads of rain this summer!

When I got home, I showered (again), and then we started Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.  After the kids went to bed, Brian and I finished Happy Gilmore 2 (we thought it was funny!) and then we watched some more of that documentary, Trophy Wife.  It is BORING and WEIRD.

 

Sunday, August 3

Sunday, I slept in until 8:15 – my last day to sleep in before summer break was over.  Boooo.  Since Brian couldn’t eat on Sunday, the kids and I all just had whatever we wanted for breakfast.  I didn’t want to do cinnamon rolls since only two of us would have been able to eat them (Olivia doesn’t like them, which just blows my mind).

After breakfast, I read a couple of blog posts, I got my planner ready for the week ahead – important since the kids were starting back at school, I made my to-do list for Monday, I watched the sermon that I watch every week, and I did yoga.  I also looked at my July goals to see how we’d done, and then I still had some time to catch up on emails, work on Monday’s blog post, and do my Bible study before we had to get ready for lunch at my mother-in-law’s house.

Poor Brian couldn’t eat anything Sunday, so he sat at the table with us while we all ate, and then on the way home, we swung by Publix to get him some chicken broth since he was able to have that.  I also ran into the UPS Store next door to return Olivia’s dance shoes.

We filled my car with gas for the busy week of school ahead, and then we had the afternoon at home.  The kids prepped everything for Monday and got showered, and while they did that, I put away the dishes, finished my blog post for Monday, transferred pictures from the week from my phone to my computer, organized them, and started my blog post for Wednesday.  I watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days while I worked… one of my favorites to have on as happy background noise!

The kids and I went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and Brian didn’t join us since he had to do his prep for Monday.  It was only 67 degrees outside on Sunday afternoon, so we opened the sunroof on the way there, and it felt like fall outside.  It was amazing!

Momma made a chicken pot pie recipe that has a Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit crust, and it was so yummy.  The kids and I headed home right at 8 because we wanted to make sure we were ready for Monday.  Everybody got in PJs, and then we finished Olivia’s Wicked puzzle to wind down.

We got the kids in bed early, Brian and I watched some more of Trophy Wife because at that point we didn’t want to start anything new, and then we all headed to bed early in preparation for Monday.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!