PopSecret

 Over the past few days we have been preparing for Timmy's upcoming school year. His classroom has already been purged, scrubbed and reorganized. Most of his school supplies were ordered at the beginning of August when they were being sold at dime and quarter sales. Yesterday his final school supply finally arrived, courtesy of his Nana.

Timmy loves PopSecret popcorn and we have found it elusive in West Virginia. I found it one time on the shelves since we moved here, and that appeared to be an anomaly.  My Mom overheard Timmy talking about our PopSecret frustrations and decided to take the situation in her own hands.  

Hamlet was elated with his package, and immediately put a bag in the microwave to pop (despite dinner being in the oven, but I digress). As he was eating his treat, he began to lay the groundwork for his Christmas present.

"Momom, I've had my little refrigerator for almost a year and I think we can all agree that I'm responsible with it. At this point, it would probably be easier for the whole family if I had my own small microwave."

Can't blame him for trying, but if he had his own microwave he would never come downstairs! 

Have a great weekend!  

 

 

Chaotic

 After a rough weekend start, Robby is settling into his new semester. With each day I am hearing less anxiety and panic in his voice. Yesterday evening I actually heard him laugh for the first time since move-in day which eased my worried Mom mind. I am not sure why this semester has been such a difficult transition, but perhaps that is something we can dissect at a later time.

My school year has been busy but good. I'm delighted to be back with my students, but the chaos of the new school year is exhausting. I keep holding on to the knowledge that my schedule is chaotic because I have so many students trying to learn new school buildings and routes. Once they know their way, my normal routine will emerge. Until then, I'm running around trying to make sure that everybody feels supported.

I will also feel better when the cooler weather rolls into our area. These 90 degree temperatures make it more difficult for me to do my job as walking becomes laborious with my leg constantly trying to slide off.    I'm ready for autumn!

Tired but Good

 Although I'm physically tired and not terribly keen on waking up early and wearing real pants all day, I'm delighted to be back at work with my students. Now that the meetings are over and the students are getting into the flow of their new school year, I'm starting to develop a permanent schedule. Right now I feel like I'm a bit frantic as I try to see every student to ensure that they aren't getting lost in their new buildings, but soon I know this will all become routine. 

We moved Robby into his new dorm room on Saturday and he officially begins his classes today. He is nervous but excited to be finally delving deeper into his major. I know that he is feeling overwhelmed by the totality of work laid out in his syllabi. Last night I spent about an hour trying to help him organize his course load and reminding him that he is ready for these classes.

Right now, Timmy is the only one still on summer vacation. He is basking in late mornings and midnight snacks. In a few days his little world will be rocked as we reintroduce his school year schedule, but I'm going to let him continue to live his best life. He is in that sweet time period where he is happy that Robby is gone because he has reclaimed space and snacks but he does not yet miss his companion and buddy. In another week or two, he will start to feel lonely. But in this moment, I know he is trying to keep a mask on his elation.

Have a day as happy as Hamlet's.

Moving Day!

 Move-In Day was a success.

I felt like packing was easier this year and it turns out that I was correct. When Robby came home in May, I took several hours to reorganize all of his boxes. The only items that were unpacked and moved upstairs were his clothes and computer items. Everything else was resealed in boxes and stowed in the basement. As we were putting already packed boxes into the car, I couldn't help but be thankful for Past Peggy's efforts.  

While packing and moving was easier than semester's past, Robby was nervous because of his new living situation. All summer we have been under the impression that he was sharing a suite with three baseball players. His efforts to contact his roommate were not reciprocated, so he was moving in without knowing anybody. 

It turns out that his roommate never responded because he transferred at the end of last semester. Koopa has the room to himself! It turns out that his suitemate's roommate isn't returning either, so the two of them are sharing the living room and bathroom while maintaining their own room. 

I was sad to see him go, but I know that he is going to have an amazing semester!