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Catching Up #CoffeeTalk

Coffee Talk | Old School Blogging with Jo-Lynne Shane

I had to giggle at the irony of this post title. Yes, I’m catching up WITH YOU but I don’t think I will feel caught up to everything I’ve committed to until probably 2015. And that’s not even an exaggeration.

It’s hard to say no to so many fun things! How do you choose?

In the midst of all the holiday hubbub, I impulsively scheduled an appointment for family photos next Tuesday, so last night I was up late in my room, laying out outfit possibilities and searching the internets for pieces to fill in.

I’m working on a post about what to wear for family photos, so I don’t want to steal my own thunder, but I like to work with 3 colors when planning these outfits. It’s a fine line between coordinating and being too matchy-matchy. Three colors seems to be enough to keep it interesting while still keeping it cohesive so the outfits aren’t distracting.

I think I’ve decided to go with a combination of gray, navy and red. It seems we always end up doing shades of gray, navy and purple or pink for our family photos so this year I want to make sure to do something different. I was trying to make a really cool wintry palette work with white, grey and pastel pink, but I would have had to purchase way too many pieces to make it all come together. And I think my boys look best in bold colors anyway, so I scrapped that. Still… how cool would that be!???

Do you do professional family photos very often? We don’t do it every year, but I like to have them done regularly. The kids change SO much so fast, and while candid photos are nice, I like to have it done right every once in a while.

Beyond that, I’m just scrambling trying to do everything I want to do during school hours so I can be present for my family when they’re around. Thank goodness I’m not hosting Thanksgiving!

Speaking of getting stuff done during school hours, today is Parent’s Visitation Day at my girls’ elementary school. I’m not sure what nutjob came up with this idea, and sue me if I sound jaded, but it is truly such a 21st century helicopter parent concoction.

I mean, first of all, could they pick a busier time of year?!! Not to mention, school conferences are next week. And second of all, these poor teachers are losing an entire day of class time with parents in and and out all day long. How can they possibly prepare our kids for those dreadful PSSAs when we keep interrupting their classrooms?

How are parents who work supposed to get the time off to go to all of these events? Not to suggest that parents who stay home have nothing to do either. I fall right in the middle of these demographics. I put in as much time as a person who works fulltime. In fact, I daresay I put in more official work hours in a week than most people who work in an office setting. And this time of year, the demands are many. But I’m at home so . . . I’m available, right??? It’s such a catch 22.

Why is it that I get the Mom Guilt over suggesting that I may not be able to make it, but my husband has no guilt at all????

Of course, I will go because I don’t want to disappoint my kids. And they really do care that I’m there.

On that note, I suppose I should publish this post and move onto more productive endeavors.

I’m probably just cranky because I’m back on the sugar detox. Yes…. it had to be done. Ever since I got back from Turks & Caicos I’ve been totally off the wagon, and I need a reset. I don’t plan to do the entire 21 days, but I want to at least get to the point where I’m over the cravings and I’ve lost some of the bloat . . . preferably before picture day.

It’s funny, when I did it, I thought I’d stick to the paleo/primal way of eating afterwards, but with 3 back-to-back trips, 2 birthdays and halloween in the past few months, I have totally reverted to my old habits. Well, that’s not entirely true. I do notice that I don’t enjoy sugar as much. When I have it, I don’t want a lot of it. But it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, especially when the dog’s family is fond of bringing junk food into the house. It’s not just the sugar that calls my name. In fact, it’s more the chips and snack foods that get me. I can eat those in mass quantities and not feel any ill effects until it’s too late.

Oooh, speaking of food. Colleen has a delicious bacon wrapped asparagus dish ready to post that is PERFECT for Thanksgiving appetizers. And I have some adorable peppermint brownies that are perfect for holiday gift giving. I’d love to hear from you if there are any other recipes you’d like to see during holiday time.

And also . . . my Holiday Gift Guide Series starts today! It’s a bit delayed but we’re finally ready to go, so stay tuned!!

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5 Responses

  1. We’ve got photos coming up soon, too, and I was up late last night, going through pinterest for ideas. I don’t want to be doing this at the last minute…again!

  2. I haven’t taken holiday photos in years, but this year I’m really wanting to. I like the idea of color complementing too rather than being too matchy/matchy. I better get to it now too!!

  3. oh I absolutely american education week 🙂 This year was the first year I was scheduled on a music class day and I enjoyed every second. All the teachers that I visited did not miss a beat with having the parents visiting (or it did not seem like they did). My kids are elementary (pre-k and 2nd), so I am not sure if its different as they progress. But for now, I am taking every chance I get…

    P.S. I am totally catching up (can’t you tell) on your posts. Its been a crazy, busy fall-back-to-schoo!!

    1. LOL, it is all such a circus at our school. I actually enjoyed my visit in 3rd grade. I taught 3rd grade, so I think that’s why I enjoyed being there. Plus they were doing my favorite subject… language arts! I like how that teacher ran her class. It wasn’t too geared to parents, so I did feel I was getting a bit of a peek into their typical day. The 6th grade visit fell during their science period, and they were moving around the room doing experiments. It was actually great for the kids… but I was bored (I hate science) so I didn’t stay long, lol. And my hat goes off to all 6th grade teachers out there. That is not an easy age to teach. Wow, those kids are all over the place! But the 6th grade team in our school is wonderful, and I am SO thankful for them.

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