Graduation weekend! A delight.

Dorothy spent the whole day in bed on Friday while family gathered in our house— first Ben’s parents, then my brother and his partner and their brand new pupppppppy, then my mom and her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s son and his partner. Languishing just like someone with scarlet fever should. **head desk**

Dexter!!

He is the CUTEST little 4 month old Australian shepherd. 

Bites only a little.

I ran out  for last minute hostess things when Ben’s parents took Minnie to the zoo and Ben and Caleb tucked themselves away in separate corners to work remotely. I also got the sickie some reading material

Some lunch supplies. THE ESSENTIALS

Minnie spent much of the day directing her grandparents as they built castles and train tracks.

 I was concerned about what to do for dinner, since the restaurant we picked for graduation is a fancy pizza place, and pizza is my usual default for a large group. We had a party of 15 (including Dorothy, who felt WAY BETTER after 3 doses and 24 hours on amoxicillin), so I grabbed cookies, chips, a veggie tray, and a fruit bowl from Costco** and ordered sandwiches from the boys’ favorite sub shop— all to eat picnic style at a brewery that calls itself Wisconsin’s backyard. It was SUPER CROWDED, but Ben’s parents and the older kids staked out an excellent spot. We bought beers and soda, goofed around with a football near a cute little pond, and listened to a local band. PERFECT.

After the grandparents went to bed, we had a few cocktails in the backyard, and Harry tried on a variety of shirts, ties, and shoes with his regalia before deciding to borrow a tie from Ben, wear his favorite shirt, and appropriate some of Ben’s shoes (none of his final sartorial choices are pictured here).

A friend of Harry’s called to ask for a sober ride home from a grad party, and it was really late, so we told Harry he had to bring an adult with him (even though none of the adults was up to operating a motor vehicle.) He chose my brother, who ended up footing the bill for a Taco Bell run, hoping to sober up the kid, and I think the former fraternity prez was a terrific choice. The rest of us drank tiny bottles of Fireball (a pantry staple at my super classy house) and ate leftover lunch pie while arguing that we were each actually the cool one and the person H should have picked LOL.

Final outfit decision:

Grad party favors:

Graduation day was cool and rainy, but we could not let the weather dampen our spirits. 

We actually got to the giant arena dome EARLY which is not usually a thing my kids are familiar with

For a ceremony with 500 graduates, the pomp and circumstance was efficient.

We planned plenty of time for pictures

After pics, we braved graduation exit traffic and met 8 more well wishers (Ben’s sister’s fam and my aunt, as well as Steve’s son and his wife) for a 21-person lunch at Lucille, which was the perfect venue.

(My dress was def too big and I really wish I had tried on  smaller sizes, but I really really love it anyway)

We had cake back at our house and handed out our Eau Claire swag but OF COURSE forgot to take a pic of everyone in their hats.

We spent the rest of the night eating leftovers, drinking a variety of local beers that Ben has been collecting for weeks, and playing euchre with big cards.

A prefect graduation weekend!

**Shout out to Costco because you guys! We served MOST OF THE PREPARED FOODS they sell for Thursday and Friday lunch and Friday dinner accessories, as well as off-meal snacks all weekend long. **chef’s kiss**

Omggggggggg last week was actually 6 weeks long.

 YOU GUYS.

Last week. WAS A LOT.

I mean, I told you about it mid-week before I peaced out of the blog-o-sphere but then Minnie’s diseased leg got WORSE and DOROTHY! Kept her rash for 2 days and then came home from the last day of school with a raging fever, body aches, and chills. And the rash was terrible. Soooooo I took Minnie to urgent care for her weeping leg wound after school (an appointment I called for first thing in the AM and made strategically so we could see Dorothy burst joyfully out of her elementary school for the last time in a cloud of bubbles and pop music) and tried to also get Dorothy an appointment but no one would call me back and then they YELLED AT ME when I showed up at the clinic with an extra kid (which I get because they days of private doctors’ offices are over, and we are in our managed care era), but I called and called and called and the problem was not a shortage of available appointments; it was a procedural check-in issue— and Dorothy had a regular pediatrician appt booked for the next day and I even offered to swap her and Minnie so D could be seen right away and Minnie could wait but the reception staff said her symptoms necessitated triage first (but no one from triage answered the phooooooone) and finally finally gave me an appointment for an HOUR LATER after Dorothy was triaged during Minnie’s intake. And then! (After the urgent care doc told me Minnie’s leg looked fine and I was like WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL HOW WOULD IT LOOK IF IT WASN’T FINE NEVER MIND DO NOT TELL ME) I was like ok cool I will go get gas in between the appointments which will probably take like 45 minutes since campus traffic is bananas but would still be better than waiting in the urgent care waiting room with a bunch of mask-less coughing people and a 3 year-old who breeds world-record bacterial infections and attracts every virus in the room and also touches EVERY SINGLE THING MY GOODNESS. But! As soon as I got a block away from the clinic (WHICH TOOK 8 MINUTES BECAUSE FREAKING BIKERS), they called me all pissed off because MY APPOINTMENT GOT MOVED TO THE VERY NEXT SLOT ONLY NOBODY TOLD ME. Anyway. The TL;DR is that even though Dorothy’s Wednesday strep test was negative, the one she took on Thursday was positive, and she has strep. Which is good because the PA-C was SURE she had strep and said the presentation of her rash and the timing of her symptoms didn't really fit other diagnoses. Scarlet fever for the win! Also antibiotics—those are great, too.

Also, while all of this was going on, Coop was playing baseball; Ben was driving home from Peoria, and Harry was running all over town picking up various takeout orders because Ben’s parents were in town to see the last day of elementary school celebration and kick off graduation and dance recital weekend with a baseball picnic **whomp whomp**

Last! Day! Of! SCHOOOOOOOOOOOL:

As Minnie said, yesterday was A REALLY SPECIAL DAY

 OH MY GOODNESS. Yesterday. Was awesome. On the way to dance, Minnie said WOW TODAY IS A REALLY SPECIAL DAY. And she was totally right!!

Harry had his last day of school!!!!

(Throwback to the first day)

We skipped the tennis banquet this week, but the tennis coach pulled Harry out of a final exam yesterday to tell him he got a varsity letter for tennis (that was really the one thing he hadn’t gotten in high school that he really wanted— and then yesterday! HE GOT IT).

Dorothy had her fifth grade completion ceremony!!

On Tuesday, she and I got to attend her last ever Olson school picnic!

(Throw back to her FIRST EVER Olson picnic)

But wait! Back to YESTERDAY, A REALLY SPECIAL DAY.

Harry had his senior walk, where members of the district’s graduating class come back to their home elementary schools and walk though a cheering tunnel of tiny students and then their old hallways.5th graders also walk through the cheer tunnel, so it was doubly darling, if that’s even possible.

ALSO! Minnie had her last dance class and got her very first trophy. SHE IS SO PROUD, as you can see

Not pictured:

Coop got follow up x-rays and sill has a broken foot. Minnie has a gross sore on her leg, and when I sent a pic to her doc via MyChart, the doc said COME IN RIGHT NOW, and it’s MRSA. PLUS, the day of 5th grade grad (and the senior walk and Harry’s last day and Minnie’s dance day, NBD) Dorothy woke up covered in a horrible rash that necessitated a triage call, a video visit, and an urgent care strep test and will likely involve at least another in-person visit still has no explanation, and almost caused her to miss her ceremony. We made it BY THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH, my friends, and I dropped Minnie and her flesh eating bacteria right at school you bet I did (urgent care doc said it was fine and she probably GOT IT AT SCHOOL and why is her body a breeding ground for bacteria?). ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN THE SAME 36 HOUR PERIOD MY GOODNESS.

If I can solo parent through a week like this AND get ready for a family party AND make everyone’s special days special, I CAN DO ANYTHING YOU GUYS. (But I will still complain about it)

(Did I mention I made a 400+ slide slideshow for Harry? OF COURSE I DID).

Last Monday of the YEAAAAAR

 The last Monday with 5 kids who all live at home. The last Monday with 5 kids who all go to school (until SEPTEMBER). The last Monday of what has been a lovely school year, all things considered.

In September, we all adjusted to new routines, and I got used to working on campus again. Minnie started school for the very first time. Harry was applying to colleges. I was complaining because Dorothy's dance studio released team placements after Labor Day. We transitioned from the pool to HOCKEY SZN.

October saw me really loving my long Mondays on campus. I would take Cooper and Minnie to school and stay aaaaaall day at my office, conduct my weekly staff meetings, and then watch Coop dive until 7:30pm. Heaven! Even though I did have to pack all of the food I wanted to eat for the whole day before I left. (Or eat out, which might be why my black bikini is too small...) We had Halloween and Hockey weekends and Jack's fall play and a super over-the-top dance convention in the Dells. 

November was fall at its cozy best. BUT. Our work/life balance shifted in a terrible way, and we (ME) had to figure out all new routines. Harry was accepted to 7/8 colleges he applied to and the scholarship offers started to roll in. We had to buy a new oven **eye roll** We enjoyed warm fall weather and got ready for a festive holiday season. 

In December, Ben applied for his dream job at our alma mater, even though he had just started a new job, because DREAM JOB. We had an adorable Christmas and Hanukkah season and were mindful the whole time that it was our last one with 5 kids at home. Also, you know, Minnie got strep, an ear infection, pneumonia, and RSV and took pretty much the whole month off school-- which fell on ME and also was super scary.

In January, I took 4 kids to Great Wolf Lodge BY MYSELF hashtag AWESOME. We saw lots of snow and even more hockey. Ben and I switched cars because my van is not AWD and also feels VERY TIPPY (team Toyota, I guess-- and I blame the Honda for the giant SUVs I am currently considering **cough cough Wagoneer** cough cough).

February brought a new dryer **eye roll** that HARRY INSTALLED. Harry also GOT COVID AGAIN but spread it to no one because he stayed in his room for like 5 days hashtag BEST MOM EVER. We got used to only seeing Ben after 7pm and on weekends because he left for work before the kids got up and drove straight to diving or hockey afterwards. 

March brought DANCE SZN, the end of hockey, speech team travel for the boys, club diving meets, and Dorothy and Ben's bdays (11 and 45). We cancelled spring break for Reasons and had fun being cozy at home.

April saw a SNOW DAY and pop up blizzard that stranded my car down the street. Ben interviewed for the job he applied for in December. Harry started his senior tennis season, and the boys wrapped up speech. Dorothy danced. Coop dove. We figured out that the public library makes Minnie sick, and I switched up our library rhythms. Jack turned 16 and made huge driver's ed progress.

In May Harry got amazing academic scholarships. Jack absolutely crushed it in his spring play. Coop broke a part of his foot but kept working out the best he could. Minnie got excited for her dance recItal. Ben moved out part f the week to start the job he applied for in DECEMBER.

AND NOW. I am at that awkward place where I am nostalgic for the days I am living right now. I love my little morning routine of taking Coop and Minnie to school (it took me until December to figure out how to get them both there on time). I like getting coffee on Fridays with them (coffee for me, smoothie for Coop, cookie for Minnie) and coming home to a quiet house. I like Harry popping for lunch and or study hall every day. I like everyone tucked in at night in their own beds. I want to stay right here in this moment with Dorothy at the elementary school across the street and Harry taking Jack to school-- even with their brawls on the driveway in the morning.

THE LAST MONDAY of the 2023-204 school year-- I am going to miss it so much.

One more Monday dive practice for the road:

Minnie in a laminated pile of adorable her teacher sent home

 

May: What I Read

As always, here they are from worst to best:

Not for Me

The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan: Meh. **2024 

It Was Always You by Sarah K. Stephens: Oooooh this was fun to listen to, but do not expect art. **Audio 

FREIDA!

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden: Liked it **Audio

 The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden: This is a creepy one. **Audio

The Devil Wears Scrubs by Freida McFadden: LOVED this and it made me like McFadden’s oeuvre as a whole much better. SHE’S A NEUROLOGIST. SO cool. **Audio

Solid Mehs

The Second Chance Hotel by Sierra Godfrey: Meh. **Audio **

Lucky by Jane Smiley: A less fun Daisy Jones and the Six. **2024

Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley: I always want to like this author so much more than I end up liking her stuff. **2024

Good Backlist Titles I Stumbled Across

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney: Heartbreaker of a memoir about his 2 year-old who died of brain cancer.

Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano: Liked this one a lot-- it is a re-release of her older out-of-print novel, which is why is sort of seems to be set in the present but not quite... **Audio

Instamom by Chantel Guertin: Loved this breezy little romance.

BOTY Contenders

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano: This one might be the best one since the original. This series is so cute, and it really should be a TV show. **2024

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose: I had some issues with The Maid because I felt like Molly was just every autism stereotype ever rolled into one character, but this iteration of her is much more nuanced, and I liked this book a lot. **2024 **Audio

Leaving by Roxana Robinson: OH MY GOSH. This is so sad and wonderful. **2024

Funny Story by Emily Henry: Hello, it’s me, letting my basic bitch roots show. THIS IS SO GREAT. **2024 **Audio

This month: 15 books

Audio: 8

Print or digital: 7

This year: 71

Audio: 35

With my eyes: 36

Books published in 2024: 32