Bramell, Party of Five: September 2016

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Twin Tuesday Returns!




Twin Tuesday is here again! Isn't it great?

The kids turned six over the summer and are in the full-swing of first grade now. Which reminds me....I owe you a birthday post and a first day of school post. Since this is how my kids will have a record of their past, I don't want to forget these important ones. Did you know that I print out a book each year from the blog? It's my version of their memory books, that they will have to keep (or burn) when they are all grown up.  But I digress...

Boy Twin:
  • He's playing soccer and coach pitch baseball this fall--and doing great at both! We are so proud of him and how hard he tries at both sports. He is not ready yet to choose one over the other, so we are hanging in there for both.
  • He's doing great in school and seems to enjoy it a lot. Reading seems to be his strong area right now.
  • He is never, ever still. This kid will run, run, run all the time. They both come home from school and immediately go outside to play and ride bikes.


Girl Twin:

  • Oh, this girl is a hoot! Every day I find a selfie or a video on my phone that she's made. She is telling jokes or giggling all the time. It's funny that she's so happy because she was such a cranky toddler. (shhh!)
  • This one totally goes to school for the social life. She doesn't tell us much about her day, usually. We have to find out from her teacher that she had to move seats for talking in class! She loves her friends so much, and wants to be friends with everyone.
  • She is back in gymnastics and still loving it. Again, maybe for the social activity. But she is making great progress, too.

This is my favorite photo of them from our beach vacay this summer. Also, another post I need to do.




Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Helloooooo!





Well, hi there! Look who's come out of the fog>>>>>>>ME! It sure has been a while, and I'm ready to dust off the cobwebs and blog again. Pardon me, but I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Ten months of being unemployed tends to do that to a person, I guess.

If I'm being totally honest here, I've just been down. I don't want to write when I'm down, and there's been nothing worth writing about.

I spent the last 10 months applying for, and being rejected from, more jobs than I can count. I'm not joking. I quit counting after 45. I sat through interviews that I thought I nailed, only to find out they hired "a candidate better qualified for the job." Friends, through my top-notch investigative skills, I can tell you that means someone younger and prettier (and, in several cases, with less experience). Yes, I have hit middle age. Yes, it sucks.

In the meantime, I did a lot of substitute teaching to keep my mind sharp. I fell in love with some Pre-K kids that I colored with, read stories to and helped put together puzzles. I got lots of hugs, high fives and beautiful artwork given to me.

I also got to spend all summer with my own children! When has that ever happened? NEVER. I'd like to say it was glorious, and it mostly was, but the summer of 2016 was not our best. I can sum it up with two words, basically: HEAD LICE. Y'all. It was awful. For 30 days, yes THIRTY, we washed, combed and picked for hours and hours. All three kids and myself were infected. We cancelled a lot of summer plans, sleepovers and play dates. It pretty much sucked.

There were some bright parts of the summer---vacation--that I'll share in another post. But, mostly, our summer was a bummer. Alas, blogging was not to be.

Fast forward to now: I have two jobs through contract work, allowing me to work from home. Kids are doing great in school. Summer is behind us, and I think my creative juices are flowing again. Welcome back, my friends. I hope you keep coming back for more.

 
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