Weekend Report

Shana Tova!

Oh what a weekend.

Friday: cleaning frantically and baking carrot cake.

Saturday: cooking and cleaning (frantically) to prepare for family get-together for E's 14th birthday. Everyone had a great time (even H said the party was a blast). There were hamburgers, hotdogs, s'mores, carrot cake, salads, snacks, etc, etc, and a giant watermelon. My husband did a ton of grilling and had the firepit going. In the evening, we got to sit around the fire and talk.

I made the sour cream icing for the carrot cake but H+C did all the decoration work. H had the idea to make a minecraft-themed cake. C helped with the decorations, but mostly did what H told her to do. There were a lot of toothpicks (to attach the various minecraft objects to the cake). 

Also on Saturday (after everyone left and we cleaned up a bit): kids and I watched a couple of episodes of the Rings of Power.

Sunday: more frantic cooking for Rosh Hashanah dinner with my parents. It turned out great! I tried a new carrot kugel recipe and everyone really liked it.

Monday: We joined the Rosh Hashanah services on zoom (kids complained). While listening to the services, we played a round of Harry Potter Clue. C was about to have a huge meltdown because she kept loosing house points to all the "dark mark" cards, but then she figured out the who/when/how and won the game. The girls and I went to the Tashlich ceremony, heard the shofar, and had a picnic in the park. The kids played with friends and I chatted with people from the congregation. E didn't go because he wasn't feeling so great (not covid... just a cold).

Musings on 14

Our oldest child turned 14 today.

Honestly, this is hard to process. Because 14 is... almost a grown up.

He is kind and clever. He is a good teacher. He is patient. He has hobbies that he is passionate about. He loves information and has a great memory for random things. He has a very good sense of direction (and makes sure I don't get lost). He has good friends.

I turned 14 when we lived in Latvia. I was in 8th grade, same as our son.

There are moment when he turns into a sullen grumpy teenager. There are moments when he seems so young. 

He is almost as tall as I am.

I had so much more independence when I was his age... I need to give him a chance to be his own person and make his own mistakes. 

I need to give him more space... I have this lingering fear that if I don't constantly poke him (did you do your homework? you need to practice violin! brush your teeth!) he'll never leave his room and just turn into a puddle of goo on his bed. We have a lot in common - and I know that the more people tell me what to do, the less I want to do it... but if left to myself, I'll get things done, eventually (usually... there were times, around age 14, when I forgot stuff and let people down... it was painful but did not force me to be any more organized). I KNOW I need to let go and let him learn how to be responsible for his choices (ie - lack of practice = poor performance)... but I don't want him to suffer the consequences... 

I became a parent 14 years ago - I am learning... Perhaps some day I'll be an expert at parenting... but not yet.

Back to School 2

The older 2 kids started school yesterday, a day behind the youngest one.

Grades 7 and 8...

I wish there was a little more "pomp and circumstance" around starting the school year. The big kids definitely weren't thrilled when I asked them "what outfit are you wearing?" 

They are going to wear clothing, they informed me. They did not need help, they said, and rolled their eyes.

Did they pack their water bottle? Snacks?

[Eyerolls from the big kids.]

They allowed me to snap their pictures in front of the house, backpacks on and ready to go. C and I walked them to the bus.

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The back-to-school night for the parents was last night. We followed the kids' schedules (husband did the 8th grader's and I did the 7th grader's) from class to class, met the teachers, checked out the classrooms.

We were warned that parking at the school was going to be a mad-house, so husband and I walked from our house, taking the shortcut through the woods (to avoid busy roads without sidewalks). It was slightly more challenging than I expected - we had to get over a stream via slippery rocks and find our way through tall grass without tripping on random roots and branches sticking out of the ground. Coming back - in the dark - was interesting, too (we did bring a flashlight).

The bad news: no swimming this year, again. (Why? They have a pool at their school! This makes no sense) 

The good news: most of the teachers were excited, organized, and prepared.

I am looking forward to watching the kids grow and learn this year...

Back to School 1

 Our youngest is starting 3rd grade today!

Her backpack has been ready for weeks. She was super excited to meet her teacher and find out who was in her class!

It's raining today, so we didn't do our regular front-yard pictures in front of the fruit trees (maybe tomorrow?). I snapped a couple of photos while we were having breakfast and another one of C with her rain jacket, rain boots, umbrella, and backpack on our driveway. 

We walked to the bus stop (in the rain - so what?). We waited for the bus. The big brother came along to keep us company. C got on the bus and... off she went to the 3rd grade!

The first time she was at that bus stop - she was an infant... and her big brother was in Kindergarten...

I am not ready to be done with summer. I am not ready to be done with vacation. I want more - hikes, ocean, bike rides, hanging out with kids...