5 on a Friday: Covid negative and looking ahead to he fun part of fall scheduling

 1. Illness, mine: 

Ugh I was sick this week, and I kept testing negative for Covid, so Ben went to work like normal, and I had to do everything while feeling like trash, and my resentment levels know no bounds-- EVEN THOUGH there are good reasons for how we spent our time. Blergh. Being a grown up sucks. I did have time Sunday and Monday to lie around and watch And Just Like That season 3 (the eps that are out so far, that is), and even though I have been following along with the hilarious Vogue reviews, I love this show fiercely and I don't care that it sucks. Seema in an LV eye patch is my favorite.

2. Almost checking my list: 

I know that July is packed, and I am doing my best to get everyone where they need to be and hit my goals every day. BUIT ALSO it is really hard for me to do everything in my routine, and one thing (a different thing each day!) has been falling by the wayside lately. My hair. Make up. My strength work out (I do it later). Getting dressed. You get the idea. Luckily, I gave my workout wear a small glow up (2 bras that have pads and give me 2 distinct boobs, 2 cute boxy cropped T's, 2 boxy tanks, 2 fluttery shorts to go with the 2 Lululemon pairs I already had) So now if I have to wear exercise clothes to swim lessons and to drop off kids (not my goal, but the days are BUSY), I look... not tragic (unless you ask Dorothy).

3. REALLY checking my other lists:

I am just checking things off my list left and right. Our district dropped its school supply lists (even though we do not start school until SEPTEMBER **praise hands**), and Minnie I bought her list (including all the teacher wish list items and communal snack) IMMEDIATELY. I am hoping her Land's End backpack we bought 2 years ago when she started 3K makes it all the way through elementary school, and I am sending in her current sneakers for gym and buying new shoes closer to the start of school. SO CHECK THAT OFF. I even ordered name stickers for her headphones and water bottles and bento box (also still good from nursery school).

After suffering much senior picture sticker shock (people charge ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE) for sessions around here (the mom blog friend who did Harry's is not doing pics at all right now), we decided to combine Jack's pictures with our annual family photoshoot (he is so cool with that) and are working on nailing down a date and a location (must be after my hair appointment because things are escalating quickly). 

Also-- WHY WOULD SENIOR PICS BE SO EXPENSIVE? And what kid wants an elaborate phot essay to document their last year of high school? I do not get it. They need a good shot for the yearbook and maybe one or two more for an grad announcement and possibly more for a social media post and ... what am I missing????

Minnie's bday gifts are all ordered, and we have booked our (reluctant) WI Dells waterpark stay (she wanted a waterpark family overnight in lieu of a kid party-- you only turn 5 once, I guess). (She is actually starting to clamor for the AG doll of the year, and I will probably cave because I cannot resist those darn dolls) (and neither can she).

4. Routine feeling very routine

I am picking up kids, dropping kids off, making lunches and sibling spectator dinners, washing one thousand pool towels a day, etc. This was our last super super busy week because next week, the club dive schedule changes a bit and then the following week is dive nats for Coop and all-city for Jack and Dorothy, meaning we will be down to DANCE ONLY for the first 2 weeks of August and then NOTHING AT ALL for a week-- and then I have eleventy billion meetings, and the school year will be upon us.

6:45 am swim team drop

Perfect ballet bun **pats self on back** for 6 hours of dance after she already swam for 75 minutes and dove for 90

CUTEST swim lessons. She's in the big kid part of the pool working on stroke development, and it is DARLING.

5. Dreaming of fall planning

I am getting ready to assemble my first ever PLANNER STACK! For me, September is the real January, so it makes sense to start my planning with the new school year. My anchor will still be my google calendar (where I keep track of everyone's everything), but I need the act of writing my life down to help me remember ehat's going on and stay on top of everything. I have tried to do this on my phone via Notes, but it isn;t the same for me. I need a notebook-- and WHY LIMIT MYSELF TO JUST ONE??

I am going to get a daily planner by the same company I currently love (Ohh Deer) because it is just a teeny bit structured but not so much that I rebel, and I love the thickness and size. I like, too, that it lasted me just 8-ish months-- this seems perfect for the school year, and it will be fun to buy a summer-only planner next year to really mark that season for me-- especially since I often struggle with staying on track in the summer or even defining what that means. Also I carry it everywhere and it it gets beat up-- no pressure to keep for the whole year and a very small price tag.

I am also going to get a new large monthly planner because mine is way too messy for me to love it anymore, but I am newly addicted to color coding my month so I can see at a glance how much work time I will have, how much of that time is for deep thinking work as opposed to keep-my-head-above-water work, how many solo parenting days I will face, where we can find time to go out as a couple, etc. 

I am going to add a weekly planner to my stack because I really do feel fresh start energy every Monday, and I'd like to add a weekly reflection to that morning's routine so I can make sure I don't miss the big stuff that will structure my week. We are also entering into the season of everyone's check ups and dental appointments, and those can really throw me off if I am not on top of them. 

I would also like a concept planner or some other kind of notebook for thinking about creative projects and projects with longer deadlines. Right now, I am not systematic in where I keep track of these things and their accompanying ideas (sometimes google docs-- sometimes my current planner in the notes section, but it's hard to find those notes when I need them-- sometimes on post its or the back of receipts)