Owen’s first in-person day of 6th grade!

We had not planned to send the kids back to school but due to unforeseen circumstances, we changed our minds.

This is definitely not what we had anticipated for his first day of middle school but we’re rolling with it!

And waiting at the bus stop! Normally his stop would be in front of our house but with remote learning plus hybrid and whatnot, everything is abnormal.

Owen gets a new bed!

Long story short, a neighbor friend and I decided to switch beds. She had a Queen that due to previous circumstances had been cut into but was still good (but you couldn’t really sell it) and we had been talking about getting Owen a new bed…so we agreed to trade and she took his bed and headboard for her youngest!

We borrowed another neighbor’s truck and moved everything Clampett-style around the corner (they’re on a different street but only like 12 houses away).

I missed the pic of taking Owen’s old twin bed to their house but it was similarly precarious.

Owen had to help a little.

And both kids enjoying hanging out on it that night.

Happy Inauguration Day!

I felt today was momentous enough I needed to do a patriotic eye look! But hmmm… What red lippy to wear for this momentous day?

It was a tough call between Fly Girl and Hurricane Red…but I went with Fly Girl! Let’s get this inauguration going! (If you want any of the awesome products I used for this look, check out https://www.senegence.com/livinglippy!)

I’m not a political person at all, but after the last four years, I felt like I needed to watch in solidarity. And it was honestly more emotional than I thought it would be. At one point during the ceremony I was crying—and Owen noticed and came and held my hand (which made me cry a little more because the last time he did that was when he was little and came to hold my hand during one specific scene in Tangled).

Of course Owen being Owen he had a million questions but I was trying to listen to everything so I had to keep telling him I’d answer everything later!

Back at the table already.

Yep, I’m back to babysitting the kids at the kitchen table because they were both caught watching YouTube instead of being in class. Again. After just two days back in school after holiday break.

We thought Owen was in class. Had the chromebook out and looked busy. As usual. Then we got the email from attendance asking where he was. And the email from his teachers asking where he was. After some questioning and change of heart, Owen finally admitted he had been watching YouTube for two straight days.

So he got assigned to the table.

Katie felt all high and mighty because she didn’t have to sit at the table (the known punishment) and then got caught on YouTube an hour later. Hence them both being at the table.

Yes I am thankful that I have an at-home business where I can work at the table with them. Or at the very least walk through the kitchen or by their desks throughout the day. But this is exhausting.

I posted in a Facebook group and I am not alone. By a long shot.

Katie’s card for Tom

So long story short, the kids didn’t get anything for Tom for Christmas because I told them it was up to them to give me some ideas and tell me when they wanted to go shopping. It never happened because, well, kids. And it’s always all about them.

Of course we don’t care if we get anything from them, but we’re trying to teach them to think about others. ON THEIR OWN.

So when I asked on Christmas Eve what they had gotten for him, they both looked so sad. I suggested they make him cards with coupons in them—which they both liked but didn’t get around to actually doing until today after I’d reminded them TWICE. And when they eventually did sit down to do it, they still didn’t really grasp the concept of coupons. And of course they didn’t really want to listen to me because they know everything. And I kind of hoped that a lightbulb would go off for Owen (because he hadn’t gotten me anything and was sad about it when he realized it) but nope. No lightbulb whatsoever.

So anyway—look at all the options Katie gave him of things he can choose. Yep, they’re pretty much all stuff she wants to do. Merry Christmas?!

Sidenote: Owen went shopping with Tom to get Katie something but didn’t think to get me anything. Gramma Jean asked him what he got me and he just hung his head and looked ashamed.