Happy Sunday, my darlings!! Have you missed me? I never intended to take off the last few Sundays but to say things have been busy in the Shannon household is a bit of an understatement. I know, I know. When is it not crazy in this household, right? It just seems that these past few weeks have been even more jam-packed than usual. So, how have I been spending my time lately? Here are some of the highlights.
Connor experienced his first marching band camp. It was a week long and meant having to pick him up at 10 PM each night for that week. He still loves marching band. I’m definitely over it. Since then, he has had practice every Monday for a few hours. Of course, they are at the same time as one of Holly’s dance classes, giving me yet another reason to dread Mondays.
My darling bestie, Julie, celebrated her birthday at the beginning of August. If it weren’t for the simple fact that we definitely have separate birthdays, I would say we were separated at birth!I was so honored to be able to attend, as she really has become one of the people who has kept me sane these many months. To celebrate with her, I snuck out of the house and got to spend a girls’ night out with her in Illinois. It was a great night and a welcome respite from everything else.
Holly’s birthday has come and gone. My girl is now nine years old. This year, she wanted a sleepover party with her friends. Her friends are lovely girls, and they were all surprisingly quiet throughout the night. It was fun to see her in a social setting and see how she acts when we aren’t there.
School registration is now over. If you remember from last year, the school district requires registration in person. This year, even though they did offer online registration, we still had to stand in line for the kids to take their school pictures and for Connor to get his schedule for the year. It beat standing in line for two hours, but it still sucks that we have to take a day off just to head to the school to make sure they can attend classes for the year.
After her dance recital and seeing what some of the other girls were doing, Holly decided she wanted to try out to become part of the competition dance team at her studio. She gave it her all, but unfortunately, she did not make the team. She was understandably upset, but to her credit, she talked with the team coach to find out why she didn’t make it and how she can improve. She also convinced me to let her sign up for five dance classes this year. I’d say she is definitely showing her commitment to dancing.
If that weren’t enough, Connor starts cross-country tomorrow. He has two-a-day practices for this week, and his first meet is on the 28th. He’s excited and nervous. I’m just trying to figure out how to get him to and from practices that occur in the middle of the freaking work day.
Jim has, of course, been traveling throughout all of this. He’s had out-of-town meetings, trips back to California, and several other reasons to spend the night in a hotel. It’s made things just that much tougher, especially with doctors’ appointments, school meetings, and other odds and ends. And then there is work. I knew things would be bad this month, since it is our first official month trying to close the books after we purchased a smaller company. What I didn’t consider is that it would be the middle of the month and I would still be putting in 11-hour days. I leave for work at 6:30 AM and have been struggling to get Holly to dance classes that start at 6 PM. It has been a brutal schedule, but I’m hoping for a bit of a breather this week.
Reviewed recently:
- Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant
- The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
- The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
- The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
- Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes
- Night Film by Marisha Pessl
- The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
- The Registry by Shannon Stoker
- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
- Tampa by Alissa Nutting
- Train 407 by Benjamin D. Schuster
Last but not least, did you see I’m offering a giveaway?!? Please enter today!!
Since there is no rest for the weary, today Jim and I will be going on a motorcycle trip with our neighbors/friends to a regional winery. I’m looking forward to getting out into the fresh air and relaxing for a few hours with good company. And wine. You can never go wrong with wine.
Have a great Sunday, everyone!
I swear girl, I don’t know how you do it 🙂 You do need another vacation!
Another vacation. A clone. A live-in servant. I would take any and all of those. 😉
My son is 15 now and I spend much of my time driving him to ASB events (games, rallies, dances, retreats, team building activities) or cross country which could be miles and miles away, or choir stuff or drama stuff. I swear, I had to make his yearly physical appt and we had to sit at a table with FOUR schedules to come up with one day that would work. It’s crazy, but I prefer that he be busy that way than not.
Ti, I’m with you. I know others think I am crazy for keeping the kids so busy, but I also know how it helps them with time management, helps them become well-rounded and learn about winning and losing graciously, as well as all the other things that come with social interactions outside of school. I hear you on the schedule thing. I have all of ours on my Google calendar. Just trying to schedule my next hair appointment was a nightmare. But I honestly wouldn’t change any of it.
Wow!! You need more than just a little breather!!! You need a real vacation!! Good luck with everything!!
LOL. No vacation possible. Cross-country started today, so summer is officially over. I don’t think we catch a break until December. Insane.
Well, hopefully you have some really good books to escape into in the meantime!! 🙂
I think so. I’ve definitely been using books as my mental vacations lately!
Here I thought I have been remiss in stopping by, but it turns out you haven’t been doing your Sunday posts. Whew! Now I don’t feel as guilty. LOL!
Boy, I thought I was busy. You’ve got me beat in that respect. Hope things calm down some for you soon.
I LOVE your new blog look, by the way!
Have a great week. 🙂
LOL! Yeah, I’ve been missing for the past few weeks. I could never remember to write up the post early, and by the time I would be able to get to the computer on Sunday, I just didn’t want to write anything.
Thanks, Michelle!
Have a blast on your trip! I can’t believe that you have gotten that much reading done with everything else you have going on – amazing!
I don’t know how I’m doing it either, although I’m not doing a lot of TV watching lately.
Jeez, I don’t know how you do your life. I practically need a nap just from reading this post! LOL. Enjoy your wine, sounds like you’re gonna need it. 🙂
LOL! I was able to stock up on some wine in anticipation of the school year. I know I’m going to have to go back soon though!
You definitely need a wine break!
LOL! I know, right?
Wow, you sure are busy, but I love that your kids are out doing physical stuff instead of vegging inside!! That’s awesome!!
They do spend a lot of time inside while we are at work. Even though taking them everywhere is a pain and stressful, I’m hoping we are making their summer somewhat fun.
I am honored that you came down to celebrate with me! And that summary just exhausted me. 🙂 Have fun today!
LOL! Thank you again for inviting me. Today was wonderful.
I’m glad. You deserved it!
😀
My daughter is in 7th grade this year, and her school requires that she be in marching band if she wants to be in band at all. I was over it as soon as I found that out. Haha! But I couldn’t tell Ashley that she couldn’t continue to be in band after all the work she’s put into it, so yeah. Marching band. Ugh. I feel your pain. (Not to mention that I can’t stand football, so I’ve already made her aware that I won’t be sitting at games just to watch her play.)
I’m so proud of your daughter being so committed to her dance lessons. I was also a dancer who took it very seriously. I know you’ve already told her this, but tell her I said not to give up and to keep practicing and working hard, and she’ll make that competition team someday. SHE CAN DO IT. 🙂
I like football, but I’m not looking forward to sitting at Friday night high school football games.
I am very proud of Holly too. She could have let not getting on the team really affect her. Instead, she’s even more determined. The fact that she signed up for five classes this year really impressed the coach, so I expect good things for her during next year’s tryouts.
I felt tired just reading about all the things going on at your place! Getting kids to their various activities can be such a challenge. Have fun on the wine tour!
I feel tired thinking of the next few months too. The wine tour was a great way to relax before things get really bad.
A breather? Whoa. You and Jim need another vacation…and soon.
Oooh, you’re listening to the new Gaiman. I have that on hold at the library (well, the print edition). I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
What’s a vacation again? LOL!
The new Gaiman is wonderful. You are going to love it.