We're Bound For Better Weather

Life is eating me up over here. So much that when I accidentally deleted my bookmark to my very own blog several weeks ago, it took me until now to even think about the blog and fix that error. You should know, I do love the blog. What's the trick, I wonder, to posting more often? How do you super bloggers do it? Please let me know.

One Step Ahead

There were so many meetings today. Many, many hours in a row. They were interesting and informative but what I really wanted was to get back to my office to finishing planning tomorrow's class.

Now, here it is, 9 p.m.

After putting the kids to bed, cleaning up the toys, gathering the supplies for tomorrow, tossing the diapers in the wash, and co-constructing the shopping list with my wonderful partner who is now at the store, I am just sitting down to tackle the class-planning task.

It's okay, though. I dig the new job, and some day it won't be so new.

Oh, and look at me, I'm also keeping up with the blog.

And there was music, too.

Sam seemed to really dig preschool today. He told us all about a frog who kept saying he was "just a green boy" and how he had to fix just about "everything in that school" with the tools they had in the toolbox.

Sam's three, though, so he also told me right before nap that he didn't like school and never wanted to go back.

Then at dinner he wondered why he didn't have to go to school on Wednesdays and "how many days away is Thursday?" Next, he talked his dad into a quick trip to Menards to get a toolbox just like the one at school. And a hard hat. If possible.

Now our school-aged-boy is sound asleep. Dreaming, no doubt, about his cool new school.

Milestones

Sam starts preschool tomorrow (PRESCHOOL!), and Eloise is crawling (CRAWLING!). So it's about to get crazy round here. Tonight, during the ritual madness that is our bedtime ritual, Eloise pulled herself up to her knees in her crib while Sam jumped up and down maniacally on the other side. They were both belly laughing. Dave and I stopped what we were doing to watch from the doorway. I'm going to try to remember that moment. It doesn't get much better.

Good Night Moon

Well, we did it. We made it through the first week of the semester. I successfully taught my first doctoral level course, and Dave successfully fed, bathed, and put two kids to bed on his own. Actually there were a few bumps in the first session of my class, but from what I could tell, things were all smooth for Dave. The three-year-old was already asleep when I got home and the babe was chilling with a book in her dad's lap.

Overall, I think we can do this.

The Great Outdoors

Right now my husband is outside pointing a laser at a family (posse? cohort?) of raccoons. They are generally nonplussed by his presence and don't seem to mind the red light in their eyes. 

This is a problem. 

Tomorrow I'll be calling animal control. They will arrive with a can of cat food and a cage. They will catch a raccoon overnight and then take it away to be killed the next morning. That's just the circle of life, if you want to look at it that way.

20 Minutes With One Hand

I would have so many blog posts if I could type while pumping.

Dear Summer,

Okay. So I didn't do very all on the Equation Challenge. At all.

But in my defense, it's been a crazy summer. We just finished the first week of the summer institute over at the writing project. And while I love it, it comes right on the heels of teaching another two week course. Which, by the way, I also loved. In the meantime, I am working on a couple of conference proposals, a conference presentation, and a book chapter. I'm also trying to close out a few projects at work before starting a new job in August which requires planning to teach a brand new course and learning the ins and outs of the entire English Education program at the university.

Also, I have a six-month-old and a three-year-old who require a lot of attention. And this I love more than anything.

So. Summer. I'm totally neglecting you. Sorry about that.