2022 Welcome!!!

💓Dear New Kindergarten Families💓

I am so glad you are here!

It's been a crazy summer and if you make it to the bonus content I will explain more. 

If not, that's ok!  

We are all busy people.

Please sign up for an OPEN HOUSE time slot. Check your email from the office at school if you haven't seen this yet.

Please know that I am soooo excited to be your child's teacher!

Here's a repost from last year. 

The sentiments and actions are exactly the same!

This time of year I find myself choosing to kick around in my classroom, happily flitting from project to project,  languidly ticking off all those necessary chores that must be finished in order to have an environment that engages and captivates the attention of...me! 

You thought I was going to say

 "engages and captives the attention of 5-6 year olds!" didn't you? 😜

Well, yes, them, too!!!!

💜(of course!)💜

But me as well, as that colorful classroom is where your child and I will spend most of our days together once the school year gets rolling.

Our home away from home!

I love to take my time to organize and reorganize, decorate and redecorate, arrange and rearrange without feeling the pressure of the clock ticking.

So, if you have seen me or my jeep parked outside the school at 1am 

(ya, I totally lost track of time on THAT day)

know I am doing what I LOVE to do

Our year will begin soon.

And I LOVE that too!

I can't wait to meet you and your kindergartener!

Just add kids!!!!

Disclaimer...long read coming up if you are interested.

Otherwise, see you at Open House!

BONUS: What I Did This Summer

(Or a little insight into my crazy life)

First of all, my hubby and I just entered the EMPTY NEST phase of our life last January and I AM LOVING IT!  I am loving it because the youngest 3 come home nearly every Saturday to see me (oh, I mean to wash clothes...haha!) and we share a big over the top meal that they take turns choosing. We typically play board games or paint/craft or play JackBox games (which are occasionally joined by their siblings in Indianapolis or Baraboo or West Palm Beach)

Then last May....oh dear... we were plunged into a phase I do not like over much.  My stepdad, who has been more like a dad, was put in hospice care in their home in Holmen, WI for vascular dementia.  My mom who is caring for him, along with the help of all the aging agencies, hospice care, social workers, and meals on wheels, is also beginning her journey into some sort of dementia.  I go over at least weekly, more like 3 to 4 times weekly this summer, to get groceries, pay bills, run errands, take my mom to the doctor. It's a hard chapter. But I am glad to be there for them. I do not think it will be a long chapter sadly.

I did manage to get away a couple of times this summer, long weekends and day trips are rewarding!

Here are a few of them:

(in no particular order)

Berry and Bloom Garden near Dover is a must!

The sunflower fields are gorgeous and the pick-your-own flower fields are beautiful!

My granddaughter from West Palm Beach stayed with us for half a week!  I have new appreciation for you as parents of 5 year olds.  She was a helpful and easy kid, but MAN, not much got done around here when she was here! Uff Da!

We had to take her to Nelson for ice cream!

A handful of us from Lewiston-Altura Elementary took turns hosting "Porch Parties" every Thursday through the summer.  

At mine we painted sunflower fields!

Here are my porches:

and my outdoor bathtub (YES! I take baths under the stars! All seasons!  But only if I want to as we have a shower inside...haha!)  There's a post about this grand project. You can find it by clicking on the tab to the right.👉

 

Fionn and Maeve hiked with us near Jay Cooke State Park:

Our son Graham was home briefly so we got to have some grandbabies snuggles from their youngest, Maiken!  They call her Maiki (Mikey) and she is amazing!

Fionn's girlfriend led us in Sunset Yoga on the summer solstice.  How fun!

I was lucky enough to primitive camp BY MYSELF twice this summer.  I would go up to the Finland, MN area on a Tuesday after taking care of my folks, then drive 6 hours to the site and set up camp.  Family came to join me on the weekends.  It was delicious to be alone!  Well, not completely alone, there were wolves!  

 

My hubby and I are backpacking the entire 325 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail in sections.  This summer we only ticked off 2 more sections but have another planned for MEA.  There's about 75 more miles to go!

We always spend a day on the shores of Lake Superior!  My favorite!

My gal pals and I went to Footloose at Chanhassen!  You might recognize some of these smiling faces!

We're a 6 jeep family now and sometime join in on jeep runs based out of Winona!

 

This little bug is my closest grandbaby, she lives in Baraboo with my son,  Lee!

 

 

I was lucky to spend some time in Grand Marias with this fun bunch...my hubby, nephew and his fiance!

I was also so happy to go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art with my Indianapolis grandbabies!

We enjoyed an immersive exhibit on Monet and other Impressionists!

Oh of course we had to paint our own version of the bridge and pond lilies!

Get this, I mentioned to my daughter, Shae, that Indianapolis was home to a pizza place that was ranked in the top 10 of the country....so we went!  And YES it was amazing!!!!!

For Sorcha's 22nd birthday she just wanted to have a picnic at the beach.  So to Hok Si La we went! It's on the northwest tip of  Lake Pepin and really is a gem of a beach.  Plus: agates!!!!

Near the end of summer, those gal pals and I went to All Glazed Up in La Crosse to make some pottery on the wheel!  What messy fun!

And finally it wasn't all fun and games and hospice care...my sweet cousin (we were raised together so really a younger brother) was tormented by a horrid disease called Meniers.  He sadly ended his life a month ago.  We've had some complicated grieving here, guilt, regret, and the "what ifs" are haunting all of us.  

But ultimately he is finally at peace.  

Here we are 30 years ago!

 Time to celebrate Craig!

Wow!  Did you make it all the way to the end?

I am impressed!

I am looking forward to seeing you and your k kiddo at Open House so you can tell me about YOUR summer!  I can't wait!!!!