Scrappy Hearts

Quotes I Love

Try to relax

and enjoy the crisis!

Ashleigh Brilliant

Week in the Life, Saturday

Observations: It is nice to look around our house and see that it is coming together. There are less and less boxes around as we work on assimilating our belongings. The fact that it is now more orderly makes it much easier to entertain company. I do not need to spend as much time preparing for the visit and I can relax once our company arrives.

Overheard: So many conversations today and just so much to pay attention to. It is good fun having Mark's sisters visit because I can listen to stories from their childhoods. This visit was no exception and as usual, conversations turn to reminiscing about their mom, dad and childhood. Nothing specific stands out, just lots of stories.

Gratitude: Really grateful that Susie and Don decided to stop for an evening before heading back to Illinois. I love spending time with Mark's family. We celebrated family, shared a beer at our local brewery and then lingered over a home cooked meal. Wonderful!

Favorite Moment: It is hard to select just one moment but I think it would have to be our visit to Iron Hill and introducing Susie and Don to our favorite manager, Jason. Good fun! Great beer! Great Food!

Week in the Life, Friday

Observations: Getting up before 7 everyday is going to require a change in bedtime for me. This week has exhausted me! I cannot continue to hit bed between eleven and midnight and still have energy come Friday evening. The other thing I noticed this week, 2nd graders themselves are a bit exhausting. They are like little energizer bunnies, moving, moving, moving. Me, I am more like the StayPuf Marshmallow Man, plodding along in slow motion, just trying to keep up!

Overheard: I found myself in many situations today where I had the opportunity to "overhear" others' conversations. The ones I think I found most intriguing were those conversations between Mark and his sisters as we were out to dinner and taking a stroll on the boardwalk. They always have such a good time together and the stories they tell and share are very entertaining for me.

Gratitude: So very grateful that Mark's sisters still come out to Ocean City for a week every September. We love having the opportunity to catch up with them and just spend time together. We had a wonderful dinner and then we spent some quality time walking on the boardwalk and participating in all that the boardwalk offers like skee ball, gelato and Kohr's Brothers. YUM!

Favorite Moment: We shared so many wonderful moments this evening. I think my favorite would have to be when Karen convinced us to take a roller coaster ride. Mark, Susie, Karen and I rode the "little" roller coaster along with several 8 year olds. It was just our speed and was such a fun thing to do! 

Week in the Life, Thursday

Observations: As we approach the end of the first full week of school there are some routines that are working and some that are not. Part of the problem is me, and I realize that. Need to be a bit more consistent amid the chaos. I have also noticed that our mornings go so quickly. We barely get into school before it is time for snack and then lunch. In the blink of an eye. Finally, I have forgotten our poem of the day on two occasions and that's just not good. The students miss it and I do to. Need to prioritize and gain a bit more control of our days!

Overheard: Today the students were a-buzz about our new student. I kept hearing them mention the new student to each other, "don't forget to put Kevin on the list, do you think Kevin will like that desk? and Can we put Kevin on our buddy lists?" I am hoping that they will be as welcoming when he actually shows up for his first day of school!

Gratitude: Today I am most grateful for a "mostly" work free evening, time to watch a movie with Mark, and a delicious, relaxing dinner!

Favorite Moment: This may be boring, but really and seriously, my favorite moment was getting into bed and pulling the covers up around my shoulders. Ahhhh. What a terrific feeling!

Week in the Life, Wednesday

Observations: Parents are just as difficult to bring to attention as children, and they do not respond to the hand clap or the "hocus pocus" like the kids do!

Overheard: At back to school night I heard several of my parents say, "I love this classroom, wish I could come to school!" This made me smile.

Gratitude: So grateful today for an "easy" back to school night. The parents seemed open, engaged and genuinely pleased with the classroom, work presented and general atmosphere of the class.

Favorite Moment: Probably when I felt accepted and validated at my back to school night or, perhaps when I finally got into bed! Either way, I was smiling.

Week in the Life, Tuesday

Observations: I am exhausted at the end of the day. I really need to stay at work later in the day so that I do not fall behind, but I get so tired. I also noticed that my body feels better with exercise. This is a week off from training since I completed my last tri of the season on Sunday, but swimming tonight was just what the doctor ordered!

Overheard: Students talking about books that they are reading. It is so cool that those conversations occur naturally. I must find a way to foster that.

Gratitude: So blessed for so many reasons, but today my hubby would have to be number one. He folded laundry, worked on my blog theme and generally was very low key about my mania dealing with the school technology and even volunteered to help with that. Boy, I am a lucky lady! Also want to express gratitude for my tri-buddy, Jackie, I really would be a lonesome triathlete without her support!

Favorite Moment: Putting on my jammies and slipping into my slippers right after school. I needed to relax and get comfortable!

Week in the Life, Monday

Observations: Today felt like the first day of school all over again. Having had 1.5 days with students last week and then a 4 day weekend made this Monday a bit difficult. By the end of the day the students were getting back into the swing of things. I need to remember that they are only 2nd graders and they have only been 2nd graders for 2.5 days!

Overheard: We do a poem a day in school and today one of my little cherubs exclaimed, "I love poetry!" It made my heart warm!

Gratitude: So much to be grateful for today but primarily, very little pain in my knees after my event on Sunday. I also needed to be grateful for a day of no training, truly a blessing. Finally, today I am grateful for my grade level partners. What an amazing group of women!

Favorite Moment: Slipping into bed at 11PM; I desperately needed to get some sleep!

Week in the Life, Sunday

Observations: Women are gracious. All through-out the tri I heard women thanking those on the sidelines cheering and providing support. It is something I always try to do, when I can breathe of course, and I was happy to hear others taking the time to acknowledge those providing support! I also noticed how supportive women are in general. There was  a real feeling of "we're in this together" and "we are awesome" amongst the athletes. I have noticed this at other "women only" events but not so much at mixed gender events. 

Overheard: The announcer say my name as I came through the finish line, "Joyce Donges a Jersey Girl." I also heard Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines not long after I crossed the finish line. Along the run, "Go 122, you're doing great!"

Gratitude: So much to be grateful for on this day. To begin, the swim angel that talked me through my anxiety after swallowing a ton of water. My tri-buddy, Jackie, we have shared so much on our road to being tri-athletes. And finally, so grateful for my wonderful hubby that will get out of bed at 4:40 in the morning to be sure that I make it to my events on time. I could not do it without his unwavering support.

Favorite Moment: It was finding Mark helping out where the ladies were posting the results. He knew how anxious I was and ventured over to the results tent and then ended up their "tape guy."

The View from the Weekend

Serious Family Time

I couldn't ask for more. Jessie arrived last evening on a train from New York. We had some fun one on one time in the car and then some giggles at the house with Mark when we arrived home. I love it when my kiddos spend the night at home!

This morning Jessie helped me finish the cleaning in the house as we prepared lunch. My mom arrived just around noon and Mark's sister Karen arrived shortly after 12:30. Just like that, the house was full. We prepared a vegan lunch complete with Jersey corn, tomatoes and potatoes. Yum! We even prepared pork roll for Jess who cannot abide by a completely vegan meal!

The five of us crowded around the kitchen table sharing food and stories. Good fun.

After allowing time for the food to settle I was off for a bike/run brick while Karen and Mark went off in search of happy hour. Once I was done, the three of us headed into Collingswood for dinner at Casona, one of our favorite restaurants! Our evening ended with dinner on the porch.A delicious wine which was a gift from a friend!Vegetarian tacos, that just hit the spot!Coconut flan for dessert!

It was wonderful having so many family members under our roof at once. Karen, who lives in Texas, had never met Jess or my mom and I was happy that it finally happened. I was thrilled that we were able to spend a relaxing afternoon sharing food and enjoying each others company.

Tomorrow we will go our separate ways but I am so grateful that we had today!