What's posted below is not an exhaustive list of my social media posts for 2017 and doesn't include many photos, but it's a little snapshot of the year. Certainly captures it on this blog better than I managed to in real-time!
January 2, 2017:
Luke: "Audrey asked me what it was like to be a little brother. I told her there were different parts. There's the part where you get ignored, there's the part where you act annoying, there's the part where none of your dreams come true..."
January 27, 2017
Luke was fit to be tied when he got in the van today. I asked him what was wrong. He explained, "There was a three year old girl across the hall in the carpool line and I was NOT AT ALL impressed with her behavior. She kept pulling on a boy's arm and covering his face with her book bag. The boy told her to stop and I told her to stop, but she didn't. I got up to go over and tell her to come sit by me so that I could watch her, but Mrs. Natalie walked by just then so I asked her to please handle the situation." Oh my stars, this boy. He is either going to grow up to do big things to fight injustice or he will be a pain in someone's behind. (Probably both.)
March 30, 2017
There are a lot of childhood milestones that the parenting books don't cover. First non-family sleepover, for example. We have reviewed manners, safe GF food, tips for including everyone, and homesickness coping techniques. (I know, I know...you'd think I was sending her across the ocean instead of across the street.) She's super pumped and a little nervous. I'm just over here trying to play it cool, which judging by my mint Oreo consumption, isn't going great. Let's see which of us gets less sleep tonight. 
August 8, 2017
Kindergarten is EXHAUSTING, y'all. He literally crawled in the door this afternoon. "Mommy, my brain has been working ALL day, even when I was just sitting there."
August 17, 2017:
5 years and still going strong as room mom for both kids. I'm on my 6th round for Audrey and the 3rd for Luke. This memory prompted me to dispel some common Room Mom myths:
1. MYTH: We are bored stay-at-home moms with too much time on our hands. REALITY: Every room mom I've ever met has a million other balls in the air just like you. Many also work part or full time jobs and are involved in multiple other organizations/charities. NONE of us are bored or have too much time on our hands. We just choose to make this one of our commitments.
2. MYTH: We get a budget to work with from the teacher or school. REALITY: Nope. At least not for our school. If the class doesn't contribute enough money to parties/gifts/etc., any extra needed comes out of our own pocket. Doing this job is doubly expensive...we don't get paid plus we shell out serious dough throughout the year!
3. MYTH: We are there to serve you. REALITY: While we do like to help parents navigate the world of all things school-related, our first priority is to make life easier for the teacher. After him/her comes the PTA, administration, and students. So we'll assist you where and when we can, but just know there are a lot of others that get first dibs.
4. MYTH: We are nagging Pinterest-o-holic perfectionists. REALITY: If we "remind" too often, it's just because you haven't sent in what we asked for three weeks ago. But seriously, we've learned there is rarely such a thing as too much communication. As for the perfectionist: I am a firm believer in store-bought treats and a dollar store banner. I step it up if I have time, but I don't stress if I can't and I think most other room moms do the same. We've learned that the teacher and the kids have a blast either way.
5. MYTH: It's an awful job. REALITY: It's one of the best, most rewarding jobs out there. I get to support and love on the teacher and students in big and small ways. I get a unique peek into the classroom and learn about my children's friends and teachers on a deeper level. I get to create what I hope are fun celebrations that will be remembered long after they're way too cool to run up and say "Hey Mrs. Sinyard!" while giving me a hug.
Now please remember to read those emails carefully this year! It may just cut down on all that nagging.
August 17, 2017
I have always told my kids that they can use me as their excuse any time they need to when it comes to peer pressure...that I'll gladly be the "bad guy". (i.e. "Oh, I could never do that. My mom would be SO MAD at me and I'd get in big trouble.") Tonight when I was putting Luke to bed, this conversation happened:
Luke: "Mama? I used that 'bad guy excuse' thing about you today."
Me: "You did? What were you trying to get out of?"
Luke: "Nothing. I just told Austin you were weird."
So not the point, kid.
August 21, 2017
September 18, 2017
I did not write the post below...just reposted it. But man, do I remember feeling it to my core (still do, to some extent) and wanted to capture it here:
I am the keeper.
I am the keeper of schedules. Of practices, games, and lessons. Of projects, parties, and dinners. Of appointments and homework assignments.
I am the keeper of information. Who needs food 5 minutes before a meltdown occurs and who needs space when he gets angry. Whether there are clean clothes, whether bills are paid, and whether we are out of milk.
I am the keeper of solutions. Of bandaids and sewing kits and snacks in my purse. But also of emotional balms and metaphorical security blankets.
I am the keeper of preferences. Of likes and dislikes. Of nightly rituals and food aversions.
I am the keeper of reminders. To be kind, to pick up their trash, to do their dishes, to do their homework, to hold open doors and write thank you notes.
I am the keeper of rituals and memories. Of pumpkin patches and Easter egg hunts. I am the taker of pictures, the collector of special ornaments, and the writer of letters.
I am the keeper of emotional security. The repository of comfort, the navigator of bad moods, the holder of secrets and the soother of fears.
I am the keeper of the peace. The mediator of fights, the arbiter of disputes, the facilitator of language, the handler of differing personalities.
I am the keeper of worry. Theirs and my own.
I am the keeper of the good and the bad, the big and the small, the beautiful and the hard.
Most of the time, the weight of these things I keep resembles the upper elements on the periodic table - lighter than air, buoying me with a sense of purpose.
But sometimes the weight of the things I keep pulls me down below the surface until I am kicking and struggling to break the surface and gasp for breath.
Because these things I keep are constantly flickering in the back of my brain, waiting to be forgotten. They scatter my thoughts and keep me awake long past my bedtime.
Because all these things I keep are invisible, intangible. They go unnoticed and unacknowledged until they are missed. They are not graded or peer reviewed or ruled on by a court. And sometimes they are taken for granted.
My husband and my boys are kind and generous and they love me hard. And this is by far the greatest job I have ever had. But sometimes being the Keeper is exhausting. Because you feel like you're doing it alone.
So to all of you who are keepers, I see you.
I know the weight of the things you keep.
I know the invisible work you do, which doesn't come with a pay check or sick leave, is what makes the world go round.
I see you.
And I salute you.
September 25, 2017:
It's taken me a couple of days to process the Timber Trek (and it will take a few more to break the habit of waking up in a sweaty panic thinking through what needs to be done for it!) We had great weather and the positive community vibe was almost palpable. What's even better was that we blew last year's amount raised out of the water! There's no way I could've done it without the support of my family, friends, and the race sponsors and participants. As I said on Saturday, they never cease to show up and I never cease to be amazed and grateful. You made an impact on the families that Path Projects helps and in this community. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
October 28, 2017:
No turning back now. Bathroom to laundry room conversion is underway. David is handling demo and electrical phase one. Me: "But what if we leave and you electrocute yourself and we don't find you until three hours later?!" D: "Then I'll be really, really dead."
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