Planner problems in the year 2025

i got this because it was plaid. that was my criteria.

I've written posts about planners before. In fact, I swore off teacher planners and then I bought one this year(!). I stopped using it around September, if anyone is wondering. Actually I do use the gradebook feature in the back because I like that it keeps everything in one place. I don't use the planner part though anymore. I use a Google Doc with a lesson plan template I made years ago. 

I thought about a Home Planner. My friend loves them. They seemed so involved to me (maybe that's what I need though?) and all the good colors were sold out when I got around to being ready to order.

The Erin Condren planners have doubled in price in the last 10 years for some reason. 

I was leaning toward a Day Designer. 

Last year, I got an undated Erin Condren one from Amazon and it was fine but I ended up scrapping it after about 6 months and just grabbed a calendar planner from Walmart, month by month, to get me through the rest of the year. Mostly just to write down appointments and reminders.

Over Christmas break, I had some free money from a rebate and I stacked some coupon codes and ended with up an Erin Condren planner again. It obviously wasn't cheap...they never are...but it was "free" (or, rather, it was $45). 

I still remember my first EC planner. It was $27 plus shipping so it was less than $35 altogether in 2012. Now the price is about $60 + shipping, which is insane for a planner. I did lots of research over Christmas break, which is funny considering I went back to the brand I always go back to...and they aer ALL about $60 now. 

Last year, before I got the undated Erin Condren one cheap on Amazon, I got a Passion Planner and I hated it so much that I never used it. I tried to sell it for like $10 and it was a no-go so it just sat in a drawer. 

I've tried, before you ask, to do electronic calendars. I can't handle it. I went through of period of using Google Calendar and it was fine but then I was never just *seeing* it in front of me so I was always forgetting and checking off things and pushing reminders...and I operate under two different (well, 3, but that's a long story) Google log-ins: school and personal. Scott doesn't use Google Calendar at all so we can't share a calendar the way lots of couples do, and he uses Outlook for work and basically never wants to see a calendar in front of him if he doesn't have to. He also uses an android and a regular computer (not a Mac) so we can't share an iPhone calendar. 

What kind of planner did you go with this year? 

Or, did you do what I almost did and just give up altogether? Are planners still worth it? Eh. I don't know. They still bring a silly amount of joy, you know?

(I suppose I get a kickback from this but it doesn't actually matter since I already ordered a planner this year and I don't spend money on the Erin Condren website other than maybe once a year...

But I wanted to drop this link again, if YOU still need a planner and want $10 off.)

Planner Problems

I'm on my third planner for 2016. That is, I bought a planner last December, to start in January. Got sick of it by February. Bought a new one in March. Got annoyed with it in August and bought a new one.

Yes, that is a planner, on top of a planner, on top of a planner. 

I even wrote a whole post on why I switched from a day to day planner to a monthly planner (it was $5 from Target) and why I didn't believe in those "$60 planners" anymore, and then the html wasn't working on the post when I previewed it so it got pushed to the back of the queue and eventually deleted.

The upshot was that my days are pretty regimented and I have them "planned" at school with a lesson plan book and I didn't need an hour by hour planner because that was overkill.

I actually switched to Google calendar for most of the summer because:
1. I didn't need to find a pen in order to write something down.
2. It provided reminders.

Then I realized I kind of hate technology and it doesn't provide the same level of satisfaction to use Google calendar. There was no way to mark things complete. You either did it or you didn't. Reminders I have set from July are still there, recorded. In order to move past things, you just have to delete them or ignore them.

No, that wasn't going to work. I need to cross things out.

Then I realized that habit is habit and a planner was a good thing. That was when I started looking for a new paper planner.

I found myself on erincondren.com with one of those "$60 planners" (which are $70 for some reason now) in my shopping cart.

I knew that wasn't going to work out. I could buy a lot with the $70+shipping that I'd spend on an EC planner.

Something about fall signaled that I needed a new planner and a fresh start, so I set off for Target and bought my fresh start for $9.

This was the last one at my Target...$9, hard plastic cover (double cover on the front) front and back. It seems durable enough. It's just navy and white on the inside. No cutesy stuff. 

Tell me. What do you think about planners?

Planners and purses are two things I spend way too much time thinking about. 

How I ended up with an Emily Ley planner

I went to school looking a bit like a yoga teacher yesterday.  It was just a professional development day and I spent all afternoon cleaning out my closet.  They're almost as casual here as they were in Alaska.  The sweatshirt is PSU UnderArmour and was on clearance.  I couldn't pass it up.  Just like the Emily Ley planner I now have…but the planner was definitely not on clearance.  

Last year, I was somehow directed to the Emily Ley website and I looked at their planners.  I was intrigued.  I already had my Erin Condren planner for the year but I was pulled in by the preppy design and beautiful layout of the Simplified Planner.

Obviously I didn't get one.  Besides, they were sold out.  I was almost amused by the fact that these planners sold out within weeks of going on sale.  Somehow I ended up on the mailing list (okay, I know how I ended up on the mailing list). I wondered what made them so special and expensive.

My Erin Condren planner ended over the summer so, for this year, I bought a $13 planner at Target back in June.  It's cute and all.

On September 1st, I got the notification email saying 2015 Emily Ley planners would be on sale September 3rd.

"That's nice", I thought.

On September 3rd, I just happened to be at a training where I was working on my personal laptop all day when I got the email saying they were officially ON SALE.

"Well, crap", I thought.

Before I knew it, I had ordered one.

When my coworker saw me ordering, she asked what it was and I explained.  Then she showed me her $7 planner.  She'd never heard of Emily Ley or Erin Condren.

"Yes, I used to be like you", I thought. "Then I got a blog and now I want new, shiny things all the time".

Thing that is both new and shiny.  Also, I can't make use of it for another 4 months..

What kind of planner do you have?

August Goal: Enjoy the process

This is my favorite time of year.  Back-to-school season.  This is when my years begin.  I have a lot of trouble with New Year's resolutions and goals because I don't see it as the beginning of things; it's the middle.

Which is why I gave up Emily Ley planner last week and bought a cute, convenient, portable one from Target for $8.

I preferred my previous Erin Condren planners when it came to functionality (compared to the Simplified Planner) but those things were way too bulky.  I'm trying to legitimately simplify and make things easier on myself these days (not just buy a planner with "simple" in the title and think that automatically makes my life easier).  Concerning planners, I was happiest in college and just out of college when I had truly simple planners, so back to basics.

Anyway, I learned a few things about myself this summer.

1. I like new stuff.  Each August, I want a fresh start.  This year I got a new bag (instead of a new purse because I don't really have my eye on a purse at the moment anyway), a new water bottle (because you all were right and that Camelbak one leaks), and a new planner.  Also, new pens, new lipstick, new nail polish.  And $$$ worth of stuff from the Gap that Scott hasn't mentioned seeing yet, so I'm just thinking he might not notice.

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2.  I need a job.  I can't stay home.  I tried this once before and it didn't work.  I've been bored and directionless for a chunk of the summer, to be honest.  It's nice to have a place to go every day, even if I do have to drive 30 minutes to get there and pack a lunch and leave the house at 7am (doesn't that seem, like, really early?). I've tossed around the idea of not working or doing something else so many times because staying current in this field is hard when you move from state to state (spoiler alert: Colorado might be it for us).  Truthfully, I don't need a summer vacation.  I need a couple of months to regroup and realize just how much I do like going to work each day.

So my goal this month is to just enjoy it.

from the book 10% Happier... by Dan Harris

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up...  I've been reading this, and at first it seemed a little hokey. Like it was too simple.  But the more I read, and the more I thought about the stuff in my closet(s), the more it resonated, and it really sunk in.  The three questions you need to ask yourself when de-cluttering: Does this spark joy?  Is it useful? Has it served its purpose? A lot of things are useful (i.e. my Aeropostle shorts I haven't worn since 2011). Joy is sparked by good memories I had while wearing those shorts. But have they served their purpose? Absolutely.  I haven't worn them in almost 5 years. They're kinda big and kinda too short and that's why I haven't worn them and I don't plan on wearing them in the future but I've been hoarding them away because I remember the good times of 2009-2011 when I see them.  But I have pictures of me wearing the shorts. I don't need to have them hoarded in the back of a spare closet in a Rubbermaid tub.

There's so much I can get rid of simply because it's heavy. Metaphorically, knowing I have bins and closets full of things I'm desperately clinging to makes me feel heavy.  In a literal sense, every time we pack up a house or reorganize things, I'm reminded of how much I have that is pulling me backward.  I don't need the iPhone box from 2013. I don't need old prescription bottles.  I don't need the purses I will never use again.

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Some other tidbits from the book that I enjoyed:

+Everything must have a place.  YOU will feel better when everything has a place.  Part of the reason why moving and remodeling is so stressful is because not everything has a place. By getting rid of things we/I don't use/need, everything can have a place because it's not as cluttered.

+You can't live in the past.  So if you're hanging onto items simply because they remind you of other times, it might be time to let them go.  I became very selective in what I kept.  My biggest issue is hanging onto clothes from the past.  I don't wear them anymore (see shorts example above), but I store them away to keep.

+You have to handle each item in order to decide if you want it.  This means you need to really be in the mood for de-cluttering. Last summer, I split my wardrobe in half by taking a day to try on everything I owned and paring it down to what I actually wore and what actually looked good. It was worth it.

+Holding onto things you might need someday can turn into a waste of time, effort, and space.  I've spent more time in the past shuffling my storage around than I have using the stuff I had stored away.

There are some exceptions that I made to the author's advice:

+I save my old planners.  In some box, in some shed, I have my planners from college.  In the closet, in our "paperwork" box, I have my planners from 2012 through 2015.  I enjoy the nostalgia they provide me.

+Also, while I do take things I need out of my bags at the end of the day, I don't unpack my purse or tote bag. They have a hook by the door...if I started taking things out, I would forget those things in the morning.
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I thought I was going to read this book and just sort of absorb the advice and maybe apply pieces of it at some point.  However, I started tidying right away, one box at a time. I'm not done, of course, and I don't have the means or the time to do it all at once like Marie Kondo implores you to do (i.e. Scott is not always on board with my need to de-clutter).  But I've made a lot of progress.  The biggest step was not getting rid of things, but changing my thinking from This is mine. I need it. to Did it serve its purpose? Can someone else use it now?

The irony of the 2020 planners

In the past, I've bought fancy planners that begin in January. I've done Erin Condren pre-orders in October, received the personalized planner in November, and stared at it lovingly until January when I could finally(!) really begin to use it. The last one I bought was in 2017, for 2018, and I'm 99% sure I stopped using it far before 2018 was over. 

Amazon

My issue is that I always get an itch to get a new planner in August, because I do tend to run on an academic-year pattern of thought. It just fits how I think; new years begin in August and not January. For this reason, last year, I finally gave in and just bought a $15 Day Designer version at Target. It's actually served me pretty well, and I'm about to finish it up next month. I track workouts, errands, appointments and, most importantly, I have dozens of post-it note reminders throughout for tasks that need to be taken care of each month. i.e. "vet appointments" for June, etc. 

In a very ironic way, my current planner concludes with June. Which just so happens to be the end of our known timeline. We don't know quite what July looks like. But there are reminders and things that I need on the books for July and beyond. I ordered a new planner from Amazon because I have a few details I like in a planner and this hit them all: Spiral-bound, hardcover, thick-ish paper, and some color but not too much. 

There's a lot of meme content out there about the waste of 2020 planners, and I'm glad I didn't start a new one in January. What about you? Is your planner getting a workout these days? I don't do pretty-planning, but I like being able to put things on the calendar months in advance if it's something I want to accomplish during a certain time period. 

School Year 21-22 Planner

Absolutely no one is ready to see school supplies out and about (me included!) but I did order myself a planner a few weeks ago because I know these can easily end up on back order. 

I decided some time in the middle of last school year that I would just buy myself the holy grail of teacher planners if I had my own classroom again in the fall of 2021. You see, finding a planning style when you're teaching is just as complicated as finding a planning style for day-to-day life. While I find that a calendar and a to-do list works best for me when I'm at home (instead of a book planner) , having one book to keep everything together is much more efficient in the classroom. I cannot count the number of times I've changed up my planning style mid-year, just to make myself feel like I had a better handle on things. 

While actual lesson plans need to be typed up, detailed, and handed in, keeping the framework and the important dates ready for when I am planning is the key. 

All this to say that the Erin Condren teacher planner should help me do this. While it's a little bulky, it has everything in it that I would need so it's just carrying one book back and forth. Plus, it's already done for me. I've spent lots of time over the years developing cute spreadsheets and charts and templates. The amount of energy that takes is hard. I just want to make this easy for myself. (I mentioned on Monday that I learned a lot in 2020-2021 when it came to teaching and I really was able to hone the craft if we're being honest. A goal for 2021-2022 is to focus on the teaching and not on the set-up. I tend to get super sucked into "set up" because I like to make things as functional as possible.)

And all of the stickers that I will likely never use :)

And the nice thing about this style of Erin Condren planners is that they are full-size, 8 1/2x11, so the pocket in the back fits any old sheet of paper. I would find it really hard to justify this size of planner for anything but teaching or homeschooling. It's not a thing you would just carry about in a tote bag for fun. 

I can't speak to it's efficiency yet, but this is the one I got. It looks promising so far!

Linking up with Keeping It Together! 

Confesiones

+Scott told me he wanted to buy a new Keurig so he could take the old one into his new office. I initially refused because the old Keurig had been with us for 4 years, through 3 states, 3 houses, and 3 deployments. It's like my friend.

+If America's Next Top Model was on Netflix, I would be in major trouble.  I've seen seasons 1-10 more than once.

+I just bought another planner. I love NEW planners more than I love planners themselves.  So I keep it well under $20 when I buy a new one (so many lovely options out there that aren't EC, PP, or EL and thereby don't cost $50), and that way I can get a new one in July and a new one in January.  Which I realize defeats the purpose of a planner. But maybe I'll like this one enough to keep on with it.

+Sometimes I feel awful for Jett.  Scott won't take him snowgoose hunting because he realized that Jett looks like a fox from the air and the snowgeese won't land. Scout has a little goose-colored disguise that he wears, but Scott said all the disguises in the world won't hide a red fox from a flock of snowgeese. So Scott won't take him and then I told Scott he was just being racist toward our ginger dog and poor little Jett can't help it.

If you are offended by pictures of dead birds, don't ever come to my house. They hang from the porch to "cure" all week after a hunt. I feel bad for the UPS guy. 

+Sometimes I think that we, as bloggers, should disclose when we *don't* use affiliate links. Like, put "No affiliate links" at the top of a post, so I don't have to hesitate before I click.  I often hover before I click. Isn't that awful? Especially with all those holiday gift guides.

+In the last two weeks I've watched more than I can count of those Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.  They are so bad. But so addictive.

Any confessions to share?

Erin Condren Planner Overview (2017?)

I don't know if I can even call this planner "2017" properly because I just ordered it and got it and looked at it, but I haven't used it. I can't report on anything other than perceived functionality. I like that: perceived functionality. Isn't that why we spend so much on planners and organizers and the idea alone of planning ahead? We perceive ourselves to be better in the new year.

Anyway. I got a new Erin Condren planner. Edited to add: They were having a Black Friday sale. Normally, with shipping, this would have cost me about $65. On this day, with a 30% off coupon, and I didn't pay for any kind of priority shipping, it was $45. That was how I justified it. More in this post. 

I had a EC in 2012 and then I bought one in the middle of 2013 and that lasted from September 2013 until September 2014. This time, on my receipt, it said Thank you for your third order! which is weird because I always check out as a guest, I've moved twice since then, and I've used different credit cards. Erin Condren magic, I suppose. Since I've had two in the past and it's been a couple of years, I thought I could now report in on what I see (or perceive) the difference to be and what motivated me to go back to EC.

The cover is why I bought this planner. I couldn't find a Plum Paper cover I liked. I love the sturdiness and durability and designs that EC has available. I would have gone with a rose-gold coil, but it was like $10 more and that was definitely not a dealbreaker. 

Upon opening...

I went with the neutral color scheme. I like neutrals. 

The month-long layout pages. Last time I had this planner, I used the month pages to track work things, but I think it'll be for planning/tracking Pilates now, because that's the habit I've gotten into with my current planner.

Ah, the new horizontal layout. This was the selling point. They didn't offer the horizontal layer back in 2013, and the previous morning/afternoon/night layout didn't work for me. It might work for some, but I like this so much better. 

There's a notes section and a Thankful Thought space for each week too. 

After each month, there's a notes page and a quote. This is all in color, even though I went with the neutral scheme, which is nice. It doesn't mean that the whole planner ended up in black/white.

And then there's 3 separate types of notes page at the end of the planner...

Regular lined.

Graph paper. Maybe to encourage some bullet journaling? (shudder)

And a few blank pages.

There's several pages of stickers.

I admit that these will be (and always have been) wasted on me. I'm not into decorating planners, but they come with each planner purchase.

There's a pocket in the back, and I like the black and white pattern. There's also a clear zip pouch that I meant to take a picture of and forgot. #bloggeroftheyear

A perpetual calendar that also showed up with my planner.

And this back inside cover. Is that dry erase? Do we actually know what it's for?

And if you want to talk about "perceived functionality", I stood on a chair to take these pictures on our bar. Then I took a shot of the rest of the kitchen just to prove that perception is everything.

This was before I cleaned a few things up.

But the cookie ingredients are still out because I've yet to bake the cookies. 

What kind of planner are you *planning* on using in 2017???

Recipe Inspiration: Easy Dinners + A Winner

Many weeks, when I go to make my grocery list, I have no idea what I want to eat.  I have no one to ask, "What do you wanna eat for dinner this week?".  Heck, if I don't want to eat dinner, I don't have to.  I could eat Doritos every night.  (That's the approach I took last deployment.  The end result did not work out well for my jeans.)

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However, I'm a creature of habit.  A creature of planners, lists, and schedules.  I keep a list taped to the cupboard of available dinner options.  I cross off meals as I make them, and add meals as I'm inspired.  I usually try something new two or three times a week (new blogging material is a must), but on weeknights when I'm tempted to not get off the couch?  Tried, true, and somewhat healthy food is a must.  Leftovers are a plus, because they can serve as lunch the next day.

These are some of my very favorites.  I admit it.  I cruise my own Recipe Index looking for ideas.  Sometimes I make something once, post it, and completely forget how awesome it was. 

Parmesan Potatoes
Zucchini Israeli (Pearl) Coucous  I usually add tomatoes.
Thai Peanut Noodles
Spinach Pesto I usually toss tomatoes into this too.
Veggie Enchiladas
Veggie Quesadillas
Veggie Pesto Pizza
Biscuit Puff Pizza
Tomato Basil Pizza

and, of course..

Healthy Chocolate Chip Pancakes.  My absolute, no matter what, go-to dinner.
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If you try something from my go-to list, let me know how you like it!  Do you have a go-to meal that does not involve take out???
Say what you will about my ice cream/cookies every night habit.  I can't remember the last time we had take out.  Wait...I think we ordered a pizza in September...

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Kristen @Established 2008, who said:

Established: 2008Feb 7, 2012 05:35 PM

Congratulations on 100 followers!

Send me an email at k.e.twigg@gmail.com with your address and I'll send the package your way!
Thanks to everyone for entering!

3 Things (because other bloggers provide the best inspiration always)

Because if we can't get good ideas from other bloggers about what to read, eat, buy, and write, what can we get? Aside from friendship :) 
This came from both Jana and Rebecca. 

^^They're supposed to be hunting. Instead, they took a nap. 

3 foods I hate & refuse to eat
1. Salmon
2. Meatloaf
3. Hardboiled eggs and/or pickled eggs/beets

3 foods I love & eat more than I should
1. Chips. They've always been my favorite food. I have my favorites, of course, but generally just chips (not plain ones though).
2. Cereal. 
3. Pepsi. I've gone through phases where I've been able to cut out soda altogether. This is not one of those times. I just crave a good Pepsi all too often. 

3 chores I avoid until absolutely necessary
1. Cleaning the basement
2. Hanging up clothes in my closet
3. Mowing the field

3 chores I always do
1. Dishes. There's always so many dishes.
2. Vacuuming
3. Wiping off the counters. I can't function if the counters aren't spotless.

3 wardrobe staples
1. Leggings. 
2. Vests
3. Brown boots.

3 things I don't spend money on.
1. Salon haircuts #greatclipsforever
2. Anything on FB boutique sites/Craigslist/etc. I don't browse for things I don't need online.
3. I generally don't buy a lot of books. 

3 things I do spend money on
1. Pedicures
2. Purses
3. Good pens/planners

3 TV shows I frequently watch in reruns
1. The Office
2. Friday Night Lights (before they took it off of Netflix :(
3. Weeds

3 movies I love that might surprise you
1. Inglorious Bastards
2. 27 Dresses
3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

3 genres I generally don't read
1. Sci-Fi
2. Dystopia YA
3. Romance

3 things I'm looking forward to this year
1. Re-doing parts of the Wyoming house. 
2. Cleaning out and packing up my classroom (I'm just ready to condense my career into boxes and move on for now.)
3. Selling this house and condensing our life into one town. This year, I think, is all about prioritizing and condensing. 

Feel free to take this for your own post! Hope you had a relaxing weekend!

Airing of Grievances (September 2017)

I know there are people out there who have very serious problems right now...those displaced by hurricanes or those who are in danger of being kicked out of the only country they've ever known. But these are just a few things that have bugged me lately, in a more or less first-world kind of way.

1. When people say they "eat clean". I despise this term so much. It can mean different things to different people and, for most of the world, it literally means their food isn't dirty. I feel like the people who use it are trying to sound superior to those around their internet presence, especially when they throw in "extremely" as a modifier. Sure, maybe they're not trying to sound superior (who am I to judge?), but that's not something that comes off clearly in a 200 character comment on Instagram simply because other people can't read your tone.
Also, I get that it's all-encompassing and saves time when trying to describe your eating habits but "I try not to eat processed food" sounds so much better if you want people to like you. Because, like clockwork, the "80/20" calculation gets thrown around as soon as someone says they eat "clean".  If you're going to use that in defense of your eating habits, I want to see actual mathematical ratios written in a notebook so you can prove that you "eat clean" 80% of the time. I can't figure out how someone judges what those amounts are.
Please. Just eat food. Anything that takes that much thought isn't sustainable.

2. Office Max. I stopped in there a few weeks ago to look at some planners and I noticed they had the exact same Blue Sky line as Target at over twice the price. Office Max, this is why no one shops at your store. Give me a Target or Wal-Mart any day.

3. University registrars. Back in 2013, we were ripped off by MS&T in Missouri. I don't remember why or how or whatever the circumstances may have been but I think (Scott tells me) I posted something on Facebook or on here and the president of the university actually reached out to Scott to try to resolve the issue and we never did get our money back. Again, I don't remember the circumstances.
Something similar happened at the current school Scott is enrolled at...they wouldn't give him in-state tuition rates. He's an Alaska resident and, as a member of the active duty army (no matter what you're trying to do), you get in-resident benefits of ANY state you live in. It's one of the perks of the military life. They were refusing and this refusal would actually ruin his whole career because what he's doing now is very important to our army life...it was a stressful week when this was going on and they eventually backed down but he should not have had to tell them he was going to get a lawyer because they were violating an actual law. (It wasn't about us just paying to make up the difference; the army is paying for this program and we don't get a say in that.)
I *think* the problem is officially resolved but you never know when you're dealing with a combination of the army+college. It's putting two things together that are known to cause difficulty to anyone they encounter.

4. When people wear boots/pants/sweaters/scarves in August because it's #fall. It's not fall. It's 90 degrees out and I am seriously judging you.

5. When teachers call students "babies". "Low babies", "high babies", or anything "baby" related. Drives. Me. Insane. You can't nudge students into responsibility and accountability when you treat them like they have no bearing on their own intelligence. For non-teachers: "low babies" are kids who aren't at grade level, "high babies" are above grade level. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Oh, flip-phone era LC. Who else misses those days?

Any grievances to air?

S & T Thursday, 7/31

+Homeschool Update: I bought a planner on TPT and I'm kicking myself because apparently it's an Adobe file. I never would've assumed in the world of Google that a file could not be uploaded and copied into Google Drive like everything else I've downloaded in the last 5 years. Anyway, I messaged the seller and she told me I could upload it into Google but (I'm pretty proficient in Google Drive and) that didn't work. So I gave up and I'm watching my $6 circle the drain on that impulse buy.  There was a lot of fluff with it and it was pretty for sure but I was also looking for efficient and useful...So I made my own. If I was making my own spreadsheet lesson planners in 2010 in Excel, I can do it now, right? 

The key to being efficient, I've learned in the last couple of years, is just keeping everything organized* and in one place, so the tabs at the bottom for the weeks is useful.

My plan is to start August 11th because that's the week school starts here but I can absolutely see why homeschool parents are like "eh, we'll do whatever". With the weather being what it's been the last week or so, my motivation is less than zero. 

*the state of my Google Drives (plural), hard drive, and desktop would probably argue with me using the word "organize".

+I've been following some instagram accounts about how most of the grocery store is just non-food products masquerading as food. Very little of the grocery store is "real" food at this point. Anyway, we are definitely more of an ingredient household, save for some chicken nuggets and Annie's mac and cheese....but I asked Sutton to pick out applesauce the other day (usually I buy unsweetened pouches) and she picked this out of all the colorful boxes and pouches and I was so thrilled that she wanted the one with actual apples on it...that I didn't notice it was "sweetened" until we got home. 

+My strategy for going to the pool at this point is to go at 6:00pm, after dinner. It's a mile away and closes at 8:00pm. There's no sunburn, don't have to take snacks, not very crowded. I do think it's insane that I pay for all of us to swim for like 90ish minutes but we wouldn't be there much longer than that anyway because Sutton is a toddler. 

I did not buy a membership this summer because, while it's not impossible to take two non-swimmers to the pool by myself, it's not carefree. Wells can't swim but is self-sufficient enough. He jumps and slides and goes under the water and plays with whoever he can find. 

Sutton is much braver than Wells ever was at 3, but obviously can't swim (last year she wouldn't even ENTER the pool so this is a win). I'm convinced exposure, not just lessons, is the key. They both love it but it's a lot of work to watch them. She's also not allowed to have a vest that isn't a special type and I wasn't paying $50 for it for a few weeks so she's learning to be independent without it. Wells became too reliant on the vest in the last couple of years so we're trying a different approach. 

Either way, the pool closes when school starts, which is a shame because it'll be like the surface of the sun here til mid-September (they'll be open weekends only til Labor Day). 

So, next summer will be the year for a membership starting at Memorial Day. 

ZERO-ENTRY is the key. I'm convinced that makes the difference here. 

^^That's just a snapshot into my overwhelmed brain this summer. 

+I have a summer bucket list that I did write and I didn't share because I never share goals in advance...some deep-seeded fear of failure, I'm sure...but here's one: plant flowers. I'm terrible at gardening but I like planting flowers every summer and it was very easy to make that happen here. I never planted any in Missouri this year since we started this lease in Kansas in mid-June (even though we still have the house in Missouri). 

That giant crack in the driveway is Not Our Problem and I love that. (home ownership has really gotten to us over the last few years)

Lastly:

DAY IN THE LIFE.

That's all caps because I haven't done one in a very long time and I definitely haven't done one with Wells around...get ready:

(In case you're curious, this is what a DITL post looked like two years ago.)

This was originally supposed to be a whole day but it was exhausting to attempt that and I was met with a sense of what I can only describe as overwhelming defeat around 5pm, so here we are. A morning-and-early-afternoon-in-the-life-of...

6:11am Wells is screaming "mamamamamama" which he only does in the middle of the night or in the early morning. I walk the 5 feet to his room (I do not recommend a basic ranch house with the bedrooms next to each other if you have a baby). I try to give him a bottle but he won't take it, so I change him because he's soaked and put a new sleepsack on him. He still refuses the bottle.
I go back to bed and he's still yelling. I block it out and eventually he goes back to sleep. I knew he wanted up but there's no way I can function. I made the horrible decision of watching The Bachelorette until 10, and then reading for an hour last night. I also forgot to drink water before I went to bed and having a baby is a bit like being hungover all the time so if you don't drink water before bed, it's so much worse in the morning. Also, he'd been up 3 (THREE) times throughout the night, so there's that. I got up with him once or twice and Scott had once or twice. I don't really remember.

7am-ish Scott gets up and leaves for work.

8am I wake up. Brush teeth, put in contacts (realizing I had forgotten to put contact solution in my case??? so I had to dig out new contacts), let the dogs out, make coffee, pick up things from the night before, and finally go get Wells, who is yelling again.

(If I were smart..or well-rested...I would get up before him so I do something meaningful with my morning time, but I just can't give up sleep right now.)

8:25am Wells does always wake up happy and when he sees us, he's even happier. I change him and put him down in his play area with his nursery rhymes show on and he starts pulling out toys.

8:30am Start writing this post, check email, go over Google Calendar for the next few days. I am surviving by Google Calendar these days. It has all my reminders and it so much easier than paper calendars or planners right now. Send a few text messages, check Instagram, and Twitter. Drink coffee.

8:50am Make breakfast for Wells and give the dogs their antibiotics and their breakfast. Jett is distracted.

9:00am Eat breakfast.

9:15am Put Wells in the tub and read while he splashes around.

9:30am Wells plays in his room and crawls all around while I put clothes away and pull out his outfit for the day.

10:00am More crawling, more playing, etc. I basically just follow him around until he looks like he's ready for a nap. I know we have a set amount of time for tasks today if we're going to get to his playgroup on time.

10:30am Wells gets a bottle and I change his bedding. He goes down for a nap without a fight which is different than the last few days so PTL. I clean up the kitchen and wash all the bottles.

11:00am Get a shower. Make up the bottles for the day/night while listening to a podcast.

11:30am Prep Wells' lunch and squeeze in 15 minutes of Pilates. Try to cut the dog's toenails. He doesn't cooperate, so I'll have to ask Scott to do it later.

Our living room is too small.

12:09pm Wells wakes up. Change him and put him in the car and drive the dogs to the park to walk. We leave the house at 12:19. We get to the park, walk the trail we always do, and drive home. We get back at 1:15. It almost always takes exactly one hour, depending on traffic.

1:15 Plop Wells in his highchair and he eats lunch while I get dressed and put make-up on. The reason I picked a Tuesday for this post is because we actually go somewhere on Tuesdays. Of course, I knew when he woke up late from that nap that we'd be late getting to his playgroup. It's just a gamble I have to take because I can't not walk the dogs or skip feeding him lunch these days. Life was easier when it was just bottles all day, every day.

1:45pm We're more or less cleaned up and ready to go. The place we go to is about 15 minutes away, depending on traffic, and it's come and go as you need to from 1:30-3:30. Most people show up at 1:30 and leave early, but I'm more likely to get there late and leave on time. Anyway...no pictures of that yesterday. But it was a very nice mix of younger babies around 8/9/10 months and not those 14/15 month olds who run circles around Wells and are so loud. This was the calmest he's ever been there because he wasn't overly-intimidated.

Post-playgroup, bags in hand, because I forgot to take a picture before we left. 

Also, I hadn't washed his hands yet, so he was getting all the germs off of it, I suppose. : / 

After that, Wells took a nap and it was all downhill and I was exhausted.

Any time he's left alone with the vacuum in sight, he figures out a way to get to it. 

Linking up with Jenn!