Week in the Life 2016 – Day 7

Jake woke up early this morning and headed to work since we’d told him he could work today if he came home around 5pm. As soon as the kids woke up, we called my mom, cause it’s her birthday. LOVE YOU MOM!!

We then went to Cafe Borrone for breakfast only after I promised they could play since neither of them really wanted to go.

They know I hate that particular game so they were messing with me by putting it in the photo.

I read while they played. Making my way through this book really slowly.

David drew using Paper 53. 

We then headed to the book store. Looked at puzzle books and more. We intended to buy no books. 

But ended up with all these.

David cleaned up his room while Nathaniel and I folded all the laundry. 

We then cleaned up the toy bins too so I decided it was time reward me with some CNN while the kids played. 

I did some of the KenKen puzzles while I watched. The 1-4 ones were easy but the 1-6 ones were super hard!

I’d promised we’d play board games today so we pulled out AntiMatter Matters – A quantum physics game.

I like being the yellow guy.

This was our first time building a neutron along with the proton and electron.

At the very end, David tried to do an “evil” move by making me lose my pieces but then i told him, what if I spun the “center” and won (since I already had all my pieces.) There was a 10% chance but that’s exactly what I did! I loved it that much more because I’d just told him that I usually win because I focus on winning and he focuses on destroying others. Lol.

Then it was time for ubongo.

I am not so great with spatial things so I find this game challenging and I like playing it so I can get better.

The crowns are still a big hit in the house.

David and I did an Algebra book this fall. I told him he’d have to do 10 random problems from the book to prove to me that he still remembers the material. And the boy did! 🙂

And then it was time to practice guitar.

Right after, Jake got home so we walked down to Palo Alto for some ice cream. Bottom left is me, though I ended up only eating the pink one which is Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet. Top left is David. Top right is Jake. Bottom right is Nathaniel. 

We then walked back home. David had practice with his Talent Show team so they are off doing that and Nathaniel and I did a bunch of math together right before I tucked him in. Now I am watching some TV and typing this up. It’s 8pm which means we have only about one hour before I call it a night.

And there we go. A whole week documented. I am proud of myself for pulling that off 🙂

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 6

Saturday started slowly. I woke up around 7 with Nathaniel peeking into my room. “Can I watch Garfield?” he said as soon as he cuddled in with me. I said yes and off he went.

When I came down, my nephew Aksel was calling me on Skype. While we were talking David woke up and he showed David these Turkish airlines planes that have Batman and Superman.

We all took a photo before we hung up. I got to talk to my sister too but by then she was gone to the movies.

We then drove to the movies to celebrate David’s friend Luca’s birthday. Nathaniel got to come along too and enjoyed the fun theatre. 

The Angry Birds movie. Silly but also a bit sweet. Nothing I would have seen on my own 🙂

We got to have pizza, chat with the others, cake and then headed home so the kids could get ready for Maker Faire. 

Love my boys.

He insisted I take this shot. Love love love him.

All three of them with their nerdy gear, all ready for the Faire.

After they left I spent 3 hours listening to my book and doing something I’d put off for 5 months. I created templates for all the room parents for 2016-2017 school year. Very time consuming but not hard.

The resulting ones are consistent, hopefully clear, and easy to use.

I then did all this posting, some photo processing and a bunch of TV while there was no one else here.

The boys spent 6 hours at Maker Faire! Playing video games.

Apparently it was really fun.

They ran into both friends from our school (our college) and from David’s class. Everyone goes to Maker Faire here!

After working for a while, I decided I needed to go out a bit so took a little stroll in the neighborhood.

Looked at the beautiful flowers. 

When I got back home they were all back. Nathaniel made faces about going to bed (even though it was 2 hours past his bedtime.) And David read his book with his graduation sunglasses. (Everyone was pretty much ready for bed.)

I tucked the little boy in while Jake went shopping for groceries and made me some yummy food. He’s so nice to me. And then I tucked David in, too. Read for a bit more and am now watching a movie while I post these last bits.

It’s almost Sunday.

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 5

Friday started with a 6am meeting. I woke up just a few minutes before the meeting and quickly got breakfast ready and got right to work.

I had spent hours catching up to email the night before but still woke up to 45 new ones. And here was one. I am overdue on my vacation days.

Little boy woke up soon after and gave me a big smile.

And then it was time for my 1-1 with Jon. 

We we scheduled to go to Nathaniel’s conference at 7:45 so when my two meetings ended I took a quick shower and jumped in the car. 

We got to school right before Jake so the kids ran to greet him.

Nathaniel showed us his year’s work. It was so much fun.

A little outline of his conference which he got to run.

Apparently there will be much Harry Potter this summer.

David was able to join us too since it was before school started.

Jake then went to work and I went to Cafe Borrone to meet my friend Chris to talk to her about the middle school process.

It was sunny but really cold.

After she left, I did a bit of work there and then went to the bookstore to get David’s friend Luca a birthday present. We always get books. 

I had this awkward amount of time between then and my lunch meeting so I decided to do some more work. And then I decided to read my book club book right before I was to meet them. It was a graphic novel so I thought maybe I could pull it off.

Some tea and reading. My favorite thing to do.

Then it was book club time. Still really cold.

After that I went home to warm up and do a lot more work. Work work work and then time to pick up the boys.

David telling me a story  (which did not relate to why he was so incredibly dirty.)

On the way back home.

I did a bunch more work and then decided to take a bit of time off and warm up and watch TV while the kids showered.

Jake came home and there was much rejoicing.

Calvin and Hobbes has become popular again in the house. Love love love Calvin.

We seem to get these semi-dead yellowjackets in the kids’ bathroom a few times a year. They are really scary for the kids and not easy to kill. This one looks dead but wasn’t. We just let him outside.

David and I then left for his school because he was inducted into the graduation class. And there was an event where the current 8th graders and 12th graders came back to talk about their elementary school experiences.

Each of the 5th graders got up on stage and talked about their favorite memory of what they will miss the most.

I hadn’t had dinner (or lunch) so we grabbed some Starbucks on the way home.

Once home, I did some math with Nathaniel and then tucked him in. Jake was doing some work so David and I both read.

He then started doing some journaling in code.

And that was Friday. A few hours of reading, a bit more work, and I called it a night.

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 4

Today started with a 5:30 meeting. I woke up just a few minutes before the meeting and quickly got breakfast ready and got right to work.

Little boy came down right before 6am and snuggled under the covers.

Then Daddy got up and there was much much excitement.

Time for breakfast and a bit of computer time as they wait for the oatmeal to cool off.

Jake took them to the shuttle today so I walked them to the door to give them hugs.

Love these boys so much.

I quickly showered and headed to work. More Fellside, and my favorite companion: google maps.

Not the best angle. but here we are. all serious looking.

The best part of going to work is the wonderful coffee.

and the food!

It was supposed to be overcast today but it was very sunny when i got to work.

I found a room that was free for a few hours and settled in.

Ate breakfast and got ready for my 8:30am.

Right before the meeting my mom called so we got to say a quick hi. Love my mom so much.

This is my work-mate Ernesta. She’s awesome. All the way in Zurich.

I meant to take more photos but the rest of the day is a blur. I had more meetings and then gave a presentation on Mentoring and was on a panel and then drove back home to change and head to school for pickup. Here’s the only shot I have. Not the best.

Little boy was ready for me when I got there.

He played a bit and I went to go get David.

Another shot on the way home. Kids really love it.

I wanted to take a photo of my desk for posterity. So you can see how not organized I am lately. Yes, it’s driving me mad.

Shower and dinner. Boys started doing homework while I did work.

David had to design his own money tonight.Pick important historical figures.

The kids played a game while I worked some more. They got so into it that Nathaniel ended up having to take another shower.

Then it was time for the little one to head to bed. I tucked him in and went back to doing work. I had 132 emails in my inbox and I was determined to make my way through all of them for once and all.

One more shot of the little boy.

Jake came home right then, hugged the boys, and kindly went out to get gas for my car and a quick dinner for us so I could keep working.

I finally managed to finish all my emails, my work, and gave one more hug to David. Typing this up as Jake falls asleep next to me (hello, jetlag!) and will then head to bed for another early start tomorrow.

 

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 3

Today started with a 6am meeting. So I woke up early, prepped some of the lunch and breakfast. Then I had a few minutes and read my favorite email of the day. I like to start my days with theSkimm.

Then it was time for team meeting.

Today’s meeting had a demo which was fun.

Little boy was awake and dressed of course. He finished off making lunches and then woke David up.

While I went from meeting to meeting, the boys ate their food and got ready for school.

I had a total of 4 minutes between meetings to get them to the shuttle. David is getting so tall.

A quick shot on the way again.

After many more meetings, I went out for lunch again to my friend Allison’s house for our book club. It’s hosted once every 6 weeks or so and I always try to make time for it. It was super hot today so I dressed light because I knew I was going from her house to the school.

After our lunch, I went to the kids’ school to meet with the principal because I am the head of the parent association this year and I have had recurring meetings with the head of the school all year long. Today was our last one. After him, I met with another Administration member to help work some details out for next year (coordinating volunteering across the school.) And then it was almost time for school to get out so I just grabbed the kids a bit early so we could rush home for my meeting.

I had a meeting for an hour when we got home so the kids showered and did their homework during that time. Then we had plans to go get ice cream but I was tired and not in the mood to walk in the heat so we came up with a different plan instead. We ordered pizza hut which said it would take 35 minutes to get here and then left the house to go to the corner store.

We got ice cream, pears and carrots and walked back home. With 10 minutes left to spare.

Nathaniel did another round with the garden because it’s been so hot and the plants are craving water.

The pizza came right on time so we dug in. After a slice each we were totally full. The kids ate cheese and I had pepperoni and pineapple.

There was some room left for ice cream of course.

Then it was time to get into PJs and read a bit while I type this. As soon as I am done we will do a bit more math and then he’s off to bed.

David’s already in his room, and Jake is on his way back home (so thankful!) Once the kids are down, I need to write interview feedback, go through my emails, do a bit more work and then it’s sleep time for me, too, since it’s another 5am day tomorrow.

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 2

I needed to make sure I was sleeping before 10:30 last night so I decided it was ok if this came a day late 🙂

Today was a super-early start because I had a 5:30am meeting.

Nathaniel slept with me again but when I woke up, he was clearly still too tired so I asked him if he wanted to go back to sleep and that I’d wake him up at 6 when my first meeting was over. He said ok. I went downstairs and did a quick lunch prep to make it easier on Nathaniel, also prepped the oatmeal and then sat down with my tea.

I spend most of my days like this. On videoconference with my team mates. Since I work with a team in Zurich, a lot of my meetings and work is early AM. Right before this meeting, I snuck upstairs and woke up Nathaniel as I’d promised.

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While I was in my meeting, Nathaniel prepared lunch for both him and David. He’s been doing this all year. He’s a total gem.

We took one more shot on the way to the shuttle. David didn’t forget his glasses this time.

Since I was meeting my mentee for lunch, I decided to eat a small breakfast. Small yogurt with a few berries.

Then it was time to get organized again and figure out what I had to do today.

On the way to the cafe where I met my mentee (she’s out on maternity but we still try to check in with each other) I listened to my book. I’m currently reading Imagine Me Gone by Adam Hasslett and listening to Fellside by M.R. Carey. I love listening to my books when I am in the car.

I had a lovely lunch with my mentee and then drove back home for more work and then it was time to pick up the boys. Nathaniel gets out earlier and he’s always waiting for me in this corner.

We drove straight home today and I asked David if I could get a shot, this is what he let me have. He wasn’t super thrilled.

Nathaniel watered all the plants in the front and backyard while David showered.

David did this math homework while Nathaniel showered and I prepared their dinner. We are super early today because David has a music class and then we had plans to leave right after.

While they ate I turned on CNN to see how the primaries had gone. Nothing super surprising.

Nathaniel has to read 20 minutes a day for his homework. He loves reading series and is currently reading Ellery Jake series.

David started tuning his guitar in preparation for his teacher. He usually plays the acoustic guitar but he’s preparing for a Talent Show in two weeks so he’s practicing the electric guitar these weeks. 

His teacher is here and they are practicing Superheroes by The Script.

While he is with his teacher, Nathaniel and I continue our math class from yesterday. Today’s topic is Order of Operations.

As soon as the teacher leaves, we drive to our local bookstore. Today’s the release day for my friend Evelyn’s book and several of us volunteered to help her setup.

Here she is with her awesome daughter Reese!

A wonderful pastry chef did the amazing food and she made Russian desserts (the book takes place in Imperial Russia) and look at these swans!!

More Russian desserts 🙂

Here’s Angela who organizes the events at Kepler’s bookstore and Evelyn’s good friend.

And then Evelyn and Sabaa whose book was also awesome.

I had preordered my copy so David started reading it right away.

Sabaa then interviewed Evelyn and the crowd had a lot of questions and it was a really lovely evening. I am so incredibly happy for my friend. Her book is really really awesome. Our first grade teacher and 7 of Reese’s classmates were also there to support them and it was really nice. By the time we were done it was almost 9 and well past bedtime so we drove back home and Nathaniel went right to bed. David decided he wanted to as well. I spent a few hours doing some more work and then headed to bed myself.

And here we are. Day 2.

Week in the Life 2016 – Day 1

As I watched Ali post her Week in the Life posts, I realized how much I enjoyed looking at them and decided I wanted to go ahead and try for this week. I have no idea whether I will be able to sustain it all week but I will try. I don’t think I’ve done one of these since 2014 and my life is quite different since then.

This morning was exceptional for several reasons. I usually wake up around 4:45 to 5:15 because I have meetings with my team in Zurich but today was a national holiday there so I got to sleep in until 6:30, which would have been a miracle except I woke up at 5am and tossed and turned. I didn’t sleep well all night because I was sad about the small car accident I got into yesterday (i am ok!) It was also an unusual morning because Jake’s back home in Boston for his uncle’s memorial. So it’s just me and the kids until later this week.

Since I didn’t have any meetings until 9am, I did what I’ve been doing a lot lately which is to turn on CNN. I’ve been obsessed with this election cycle and can’t seem to stop watching CNN. It’s to the point of an unhealthy obsession and I am sad to see that most often the news is not really fit for my kids. (Like this morning.) So I turn it off and Skype with my mom. (and then my sister too!)

Nathaniel slept with me last night and it was so nice to wake up and give him a big hug. He then got dressed and came down to make lunches for both kids.

The kids ate their oatmeal and brushed their teeth and it was time to leave for the shuttle. Since I usually have back to back meetings in the morning, they usually take the shuttle which is only 4 minutes away and allows me to leave one meeting a bit early and be a bit late to the next one.

We took a selfie on the way to the shuttle.

And there they go. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they have a good friend on the shuttle so they like riding it.

Since it was a very rare day of not having a meeting right after, I drove to Starbucks and got a Latte and the spinach foldover (which wasn’t great today) and got a moment to enjoy breakfast (with more CNN.)

I organized my June project and put a new banner on my site for it. And started thinking about what I might want to do for July. It helps to think ahead in the summer months.

This is my calendar for the week. It’s not pretty. I have a lot of meetings. Especially those back to back 30 minute ones in the early mornings are not my favorite. I was gone for a work offsite Wednesday to Friday last week so I am really behind in email and I just don’t see myself catching up super soon.

Here’s how I spend most of my day. Reading email, writing email, or in meetings.

I often work with both my computers in front of me. Meeting in one, doing work on the other.

I was waiting for one of my workmates to show up to a meeting and randomly had a need to put this temporary tattoo on me. Love these little gems.

Meeting gets canceled last minute so I take the opportunity to plan out my week and write down my todos.

More work, more meetings, and then time for lunch. I had a coaching client today over lunch so actual lunch is while I work. Crackers + goat cheese + tomato = happy place. I spend a lot of time on a presentation I will give later this week on Mentoring.

Another hour of work and then it’s time to interview a candidate. I take notes furiously as he speaks. So I can remember my feedback when I put it into the system.

As soon as the interview is done, I jump in the car because it’s time to pickup the kids. Yep, it’s so very sunny outside. Pretty much every day.

Nathaniel’s class is already out.

He’s got an art project and a card from his reading buddy.

David gets out about 15 minutes after Nathaniel so I sit at the playground for that time and chat with the other moms while Nathaniel plays. This is Adriana who is also often there.

The kids are hot and ask me if we can please get some ice cream. I tell them we can’t go to where they usually like to go because I am still shaken up from yesterday’s car thing and would like to park somewhere easy. So we decide to stay local. When I see this mirror, I can’t resist taking a shot.

The chocolaty ones are Nathaniel’s and mine, the crazy colorful one is David’s. I threw mine away because it had a lot of nuts. Way way too many nuts.

We grab a few bagels and finally make it home. David jumps into the shower and the boys get ready for swimming which is in an hour. They eat the bagels we got and Nathaniel and I spend this time doing a Udacity course that David and I did years ago: Intro to Algebra Review. The beginning is easy and he flies through the lessons. (David and I are now doing the College Algebra one, the beginning of that one is easy too, we’ll see how hard it gets.)

The kids eat dinner and then it’s time for swimming class.

After we come home from swimming, the boys do a quick video chat with Jake and his brother’s family and his parents. Then, the boys shower and David and I do some math and then Nathaniel and I do a tiny bit more so he can finish the first section. David does his homework. Then it’s time for the little boy to go to bed. He’s going to sleep with me again tonight so David and I tuck him in.

I then come down and turn CNN on again. David’s in his room, reading. I send a few more emails, work some more on my presentation, type up the “choosing means” post for tomorrow, and I will go to bed as soon as I finish typing this up. Tomorrow’s first meeting is 5:30am so I need all the sleep I can get.