We had snow all day, enough at times that it was more blizzard than gentle snowfall. We don't have good winter gear any more, which was a bummer when Ivy wanted to play in the snow. We're usually gone before any snow appears.

Eric's brother happened to be near Inga's scocer practice; he lives on the other side of the country but was in our state for work. So they got together during her practice and then went out for dinner afterwards.

I've been cold much of the day, staying close to the radiators, snuggling up to hot packs, and wearing sweaters. I have become such a wimp compared to my Minnesotan childhood!

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I finally got the videos from Saturday's indoor games edited!





It snowed this morning. SNOW! It didn't stick at all but still...we're supposed to get more tomorrow.

Our electricity in our garage is all hooked up and all utilties are buried. The back yard is a muddy mess but the excavation company will come back in the early sprint to re-grade and then plant grass seed. With the new electric service and a 50-amp charger, we can now charge our car fully in just a few hours, rather than a few days. Woohoo!

Dio and I went on a late night grocery run as we were out of most things. I "volunteered" him to come with me. But it was fun because we stopped by a shoe store and found him a pair of shoes (not buying them yet). I then looked online and found the same shoes at an outlet store with free shipping for about 40% less.

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"I'm so bored"

While Inga and Ivy were gone at soccer practice this evening, Zari and Dio and I were sitting around without much to do. I was done sitting in front of my computer. I didn't have an interesting book to read. I had done some sewing earlier on but was sewed out. We were all very bored. We looked for a movie to watch but never settled on anything.

The other thing of note today was big excavations taking place in our back yard. We're bringing water/sewer/electric/internet out to our carriage house (which eventually will have a 1 bedroom apartment) and burying the utility lines at the same time. "We" = a company as this is beyond my scope! We'll also be able to charge our car in the garage overnight, rather than it taking several days.

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I still haven't gotten to editing the soccer videos from yesterday. But that's ok--we did other fun things today. I made our usual pancake breakfast this morning and sent the family off to church. I stayed home and did some sewing and baked loads of sourdough bread.

We watched one more episode of Arcane--wow!--and now are waiting until the next 3 are released next weekend.

I made 15-bean soup for dinner. Then we went to the university indoor track and played soccer and basketball.

I've been helping Zari reserach scholarships to apply for. There are so many random ones where you write an essay on some topic they assign. While they might seem small, they would go a long way if she chose to study in Canada, where tuition is 1/10th or 1/20th of what it is in many American schools. Suddenly $500 here or $1000 there becomes a HUGE step towards covering tuition!

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Eric, Ivy, and Inga had an early start for a Saturday, leaving at 7:45 am for a soccer practice an hour+ away. Mid-afternoon, they had 2 back-to-back indoor games, which I went to as well. I appointed myself the videographer and captured all 8 goals scored between the two games: 4-1 and 4-3. Inga scored 5, Ivy 1, and another teammate 2.

I put Zari and Dio to work with some deep cleaning indoors and the final raking outdoors. Ivy and Inga will have their turn tomorrow.

Inga is at a sleepover with a friend and soccer teammate.

I have loads of videos to edit so for now, here is Ivy's goal. She hit the top crossbeam and it bounced in. Beautiful.

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Art fair

We had a grand total of 8 minutes to visit the local art fair between kids getting home from school and leaving for soccer practice. Ivy was sad not to have more time, but at least we got to admire all the kids' artwork. (Ivy and Inga don't have art class this semester).

Zari had a drawing of Ivy and a photograph of me.

Dio had a silly ceramic mug.

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Rain today. The leaves have mostly all fallen and now it's depressingly gray and brown everywhere.

I shuttled kids around a lot today, due to the rain and Zari having a Rotary Club lunch a few miles away from school, plus an evening athletic awards banquet.

Ivy and Inga had indoor soccer practice, which feels super luxurious as it's here in town! No driving an hour+ each way!

I've got a day full of meetings tomorrow. Yay me. I don't mind them per se, but sometimes I just don't want to be on yet another zoom meeting!

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More milestones!

As a new parent I always thought of milestones as something for little children (first teeth, crawling, walking, getting rid of diapers, riding bike, swimming...). It's fun to realize that "big" kids still have milestones, too!

Zari passed her driver's license test this morning with only one error (stopping at a green light while turning left). Otherwise her examiner praised her for having "excellent technical skills." Eric and I have been swapping stories about how both of us failed our tests the first time so it was amazing that she passed on the first go!

Our local BMV didn't have any spots open for several weeks, so we went to another BMV about 35 minutes away in an even smaller town. It turned out to be a blessing since there was very little traffic and it made the driving test less stressful for Zari. I think we may use this BMV branch again for future children :)

She also received an acceptance letter & partial first-year scholarship to the University of Ottawa! This was for a program starting in January so she's not entirely sure she'll start then. More likely she'll defer until the fall. But it's great to start having options.

I love Tuesday mornings because it's the end of my 36-hour fast and it's the only day I eat breakfast. I had an absolutely delicious leftover tamale for breakfast and another one for lunch (just as delicious).

What else? Dio had practice about an hour away tonight, as usual. We all watched one episode of Arcane Season 2. It's amazing so far!

While going through my computer files, I found this photo of me and Eric when I was about 21 and him about 25. I made that costume as a final class project (it was that or write a paper--I'd much rather do a creative project!). Who'd imagine that 25 years later I'd still be using that costume?

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So cold...

I get super cold on my long fast days. It kicks in about 24 hours in and I become a Frozen Freeze! I put on the layers, snuggle up with hot packs, take hot baths...still cold.

I took Zari out driving for more practice with parallel parking and parking lot parking. Driving test tomorrow morning!

My day was fairly routine: exercise at the university (35 min elliptical + weight lifting) and then breech work.

Eric brought home dinner from a university function--tamales! I can't wait to eat one tomorrow once my 36-hour fast is done. Honestly anything would be delicious at this point.

We had everyone piled on our bed or sitting on our bedroom loveseat at some point this evening. The normal gathering spot is our library, but sometimes we shake things up a bit. I love it when everyone piles into the same room. Reminds me of living in France.

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Victory!

Dio and I woke up at 6 am for games 2 & 3 of his soccer tournament. The first one, with warmup at 7:15 am and game at 8, was overcast and rainy. I stayed in the car until the last possible moment. They won 4-1.

We then had 3 hours between games. Not enough to go home. And with the rainy weather, there wasn't much to do. We picked up some food and then drove to the next field, as the games took place in different areas. We sat in the car with the heater on, listening to the radio, reading, or just sitting and thinking.

The sun came out for the noon game, which was great. Dio's team won 1-0, leaving them the tournament champions!

Meanwhile Eric drove Inga to Cincinnati, Ohio for a game, leaving at noon and getting home close to 9 pm. So much driving for just one game, it's crazy! Although Eric says the team didn't play well, they still won 2-0.

Dio and I got home a bit after 2 pm. I was super hungry by then. I fast in some form every day, so it's not unusual at all for me to eat at 2 pm or later, or not at all. But I was famished today!

We watched one episode of Arcane Season 2. Then I went out to start a fire, but it was so windy that, once it got going, I realized it would be no fun. With gusting winds constantly changing directions, it was impossible to get close enough to enjoy the warmth.

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Eric and Inga had a marathon soccer Saturday, while Ivy and Dio had half-marathons. He left with the two girls this morning, first for 2 indoor games (they won 21-1 and 8-3!). Ivy got a ride home with a team mate, while Eric drove Inga to her traveling team game. They won 2-1 in the last minute. They got home around 7 pm.

Dio got a ride in the late morning to his soccer game about an hour away. I couldn't bring him because I had a breech live session over the lunch hour.

Zari didn't have anything going on.

Once Ivy was home, we made cookies. After Dio joined us, we finished catching up on Season 1 of Arcane. Zari is beyond excited about Season 2 coming out tomorrow.

I took Zari and Ivy grocery shopping. It went much quicker with two helpers.

Dio and I have to get up at 6 am tomorrow for...guess what? More soccer!

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Middle school musical

While Eric was at Dio's soccer game, I brought Inga and Ivy to see the middle school musical, which was at the high school so yes, we went to a high school musical!

I had several meetings today, plus my normal exercise in the morning.

I brought Zari out driving after school. We practiced parallel parking and I think she has the technique down. It helps to have a backup camera and distance sensors!

Because Eric didn't have time to make dinner, I had to do a "what's in the fridge?" meal. We came up with cabbage sauteed with bacon, roasted sweet potatoes, and stuffing mixed with some stale baguette slices. Not bad actually!

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Back in the classroom

I got to visit one of Eric's university classes (writing for video games). They're working on a narrative video games where one of the main characters is a home birth midwife. So I was the guest speaker to teach them about birth and midwifery and put a midwife's life and work into context, so they could build a realistic narrative around it. Fun stuff!

I had my normal walking group and then a day of breech work.

Eric came home from school a bit before the kids got home. I was working and he was lying on the bed taking a rest. He said, "Come nap with me!" so I took my book and read next to him for a bit while he slept. Then the sleepiness became contagious and I had a short nap too.

Dio's friend was supposed to pick him up for evening soccer practice (an hour away) but he never showed up. Finally Dio messaged him and he had forgotten to comey! So I had to drive Dio last-minute, cancelling a meeting that I had scheduled. He arrived 30 minutes late but at least we got him there. He really likes his team. I just wish it weren't so far away. At the same time, Eric was driving Inga to her practice.

Zari has her driver's test next Tuesday! We are crossing our fingers that she passes but also reassuring her that it's normal to fail the first time around so not to stress too much about it.

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Lots of tears today as my children heard the election results. I don't care about party affiliation but I do care about basic humanity and decency in my leaders. Oh...and not dying of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy! This is happening in states with strict anti-abortion laws.

I did my usual morning exercise and then breech work most of the day. I had a midday reprieve bringing Zari to and from a Rotary Club lunch at our local Country Club.

No soccer practices today! Woohoo! Eric brought Inga and Zari to pickup soccer at the university this evening.

Zari only needs 1.25 more driving hours to meet the 50 required hours! I went to schedule her test today, and the first available slot was almost 3 weeks away. I'm worried that if she doesn't pass the first time, we won't have time to schedule it again before we leave.

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Murder photos (do you get it?)

For your enjoyment, a few pictures Zari took the past few days (the Lego thing is for a class assignment).

I pushed through a few extra hours with my fast and went on my morning walk first. Then I got to eat! Woohoo! Everything is delicious after 38+ hours of fasting.

I recently did a podcast interview with Dr. Melanie Jackson of The Great Birth Rebellion. If any of you are interested in birth stuff, here's the link: https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion/episodes/2148894079

What else? Ivy and Inga had their first indoor soccer practice. I was supposed to drive Dio to his practice this evening, but the time and location got changed and it would have interefered with an evening meeting. Fortunately, he found someone to ride with. 

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It rained most of the day, so Zari and Dio got rides to school. Dio is always so happy to not have to bike.

My day was fairly unremarkable: exercise, then breech work. It's my fasting day so I sat in another room during dinner--it's too hard to watch other people eat! Ivy and Inga had practice so they were gone all evening. Dio's teammate was supposed to pick him up, but he never showed up. And Zari had a special dinner honoring the top student athletes.

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Travel tournament

Eric and Inga got back tonight from a weekend tournament in Lexington, KY. They left yesterday at lunchtime. The kids helped me with some indoor and outdoor chores (lots of leaf raking in particular) while I laid brick edging for our raspberry bed.

We re-watched several episodes of Arcane to get ready for the new season coming out, 3 yesterday and 3 today.

After dinner yesterday, we had a gorgeous bonfire and Smores. Ivy was feeling sick all day, so she stayed inside and had a long bath instead of coming out for the fire.

Today was also quite relaxed. I took Zari driving to practice the stick shift. We stayed in the high school parking lot so she could drive without the stress of other cars. She did well for her first time driving stick and only killed the car twice in 30 minutes. Although it stresses her out, it's good to at least know the basics of driving a manual transmission. I doubt I'll be able to convince her to do much more of it...but it's a start!

Zari has been enjoyed the telephoto lens she got for her birthday present. It fits on my BWB Nikon as well as her camera (my old Nikon) that is back in France. She's been taking a photography class this semester, so it's a nice fit with her interests.

I woke up at 3 am this morning from a nightmare about Ivy doing handstands and breaking her neck, paralyzing herself. Then I couldn't get back to sleep for hours. So much for getting extra sleep when Daylight Saving Time ends!

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Zari's first vote

Even though Zari is now a legal adult, we still get to experience firsts with her: her first time voting! We walked to the county courthouse together and were done within 10 minutes. What's depressing about our county is that most local, regional, and state positions don't even have any Democratic candidates. Yes, it's THAT Republican here that people don't even try to run.

Ivy and Inga had an award celebration for their middle school soccer team, and then Eric brought Zari and Dio to play indoor soccer at the university. I took a bath and read a book and now Ivy is taking a bath.

More soccer this weekend, including an overnight trip to Lexington, KY!

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Zari is an adult! 18 years old!

Wow, I can't believe it's already happened. 18 years since she was born and I first became a mother. It doesn't feel that long ago.

She dressed up for school as a fang-less vampire (the fangs wouldn't stick!). She was worried that she would be the only one at university dressed up, but we assured her that a lot of the students and faculty dress up.

I picked her, Dio, and her boyfriend up after school so we could all go trick-or-treat together. Inga went to a friend's house before I could take a picture! So for the first time ever, we are short one photo.

Dio was Kaz again from Shadow and Bone, but he couldn't find his fedora hat. He still cut a striking figure.

Ivy graduated into Inej's character (worn by Inga last year).

Inga was a Canadian, wearing every bit of Canadian gear we could find: socks, gloves, t-shirt, hoodie, scarf, and flag.

Eric was a "lazy wizard" because he threw on a cloak (one I made years back for myself) and grabbed a staff. Instant wizard!

I pulled out a costume I made back in my university days for a class project, a reproduction of a dress from the 1770s. I haven't worn it for ages.

We ran into one of Inga's friends, who I had made a leather bustier for last time she was over. I love how she accessorized it!

Once we got back, we ate a delicious dinner that Eric cooked and then had birthday cake (made by me and decorated by the kids as a team).

We read Zari's birth story as we were gathered around the table. Her boyfriend got the entire unedited version, complete with placentas and breastfeeding and guttural pushing noises.

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We're enjoying a few days of unseasonably warm temperatures. But it looks like tomorrow will be stormy and rainy. I hope it eases up enough for Trick or Treating in the evening.

Ivy and Inga both went to the same practice tonight (the one that's over an hour away). Zari and Dio didn't have anything scheduled so the 3 of us ate dinner (salad made with orzo, cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomato, red onions, & feta cheese, plus this za'atar-spiced beet dip on top of pita bread, https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/zaatar-spiced-beet-dip-goat-cheese-and-hazelnuts).

The girls didn't get home until 10:15 pm, as usual, so that means a late night and tired children tomorrow morning.

I mostly did breech work after my morning exercise. I took a short mid-day break to sit in the sun on the front porch steps and give our stray cat belly rubs. She's quite tame now compared to when we first met her.

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Too much!

Here's my day:

• 7:15 am: wake up, get the kids up with backscratches (a morning ritual of ours), shower, get dressed
• 8:15 am: kids go to school, I drive Dio and Zari since he has some ceramic artwork that needs to be driven home
• 8:30-9:30 am: walking group
• 9:30-10:30 am: breech work
• 10:30-11:30 am: revise a publication with my co-author and resubmit
• 11:30 am-12:45 pm: more breech work, lunch, short spell sitting in the sun on our front porch steps and petting our stray cat
• 12:45-1 pm: pick up Zari and bring her to her university class (since she didn't have her bike today)
• 1-3:45 pm: breech work
• 3:45-4 pm: pick up Dio
• 4:20-7:50 pm: drive Dio to and from his soccer practice, picking up 3 teammates along the way
• 8:00-9:20 pm: hop online for a podcast interview with Melanie Jackson of Mel the Midwife
• 9:30-10:10 pm: Zoom meeting with my video analysis team (USA, Canada, & Australia)

Meanwhile this evening Ivy and Inga caught a ride to Ivy's soccer game about an hour away (they lost 2-0). Eric had a department social and then drove to see Ivy's game, getting home around 10 pm.

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Back to the grind

7 am wakeups...everyone out of the house early...back to the normal school schedule. I went to the gym as is usual for MWF. I also attended a lunchtime reading at the university by Michael Martone. Very fun and a nice break from computer work.

After school the usual soccer craziness picked back up, with me driving Dio one direction and Eric driving Inga another. More driving for everyone tomorrow, and yesterday, and the next day, and the next day...it's too much.

I have loads of meetings tomorrow, from the morning until 10:30 pm (broken up only by, guess what??? driving Dio to soccer! Maybe I'll find time to eat, maybe not. Scratch that--I will definitely find time to eat since it's my fasting day today and I am hungry after 36 hours!

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Back to soccer insanity

After a lovely week of actually seeing my children, we're back to the usual craziness. Zari left at 5 am for a debate tournament. Ivy left at 6:15 for a soccer tournament an hour away. Eric and Inga left around 7 am for a soccer game 4 hours away. I drove Dio to and from a birthday party mid-day, 40 minutes round trip each time.

Ivy has another game tomorrow, more games if they win.

On top of it, Eric got a leak in his tire in the last part of the 4-hour drive. He was able to find a tire store and it turns out we had to replace all 4 tires....the tread was pretty much gone.

I also got a tire leak today, but that was nothing new: 2 of the 4 leak consistently. I've brought them in to be fixed and it's still ongoing. I have an appointment to have them looked at tomorrow yet again.

I caught up on breech work today and made bell peppers stuffed with brown rice and pork sausage for dessert. All of the pepper came from my parents' garden! Our fridge is stuffed full of garden produce and our cupboards are filled with cans of applesauce.

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Mounds State Park

We took a trip over to Mounds State Park to see the Indian mounds. These were ceremonial/astronomical, not burial mounds, dating back over 2,000 years.

It was a gorgeous day for a nice hike around the park trails after we visited the mounds.

Also some pictures and videos of the carriage house. The doors need to be repainted but we're getting close!

We had a stressful near-accident in a roundabout, where Zari was in the outer lane and someone from the inner lane cut across to exit. Zari was rattled so we pulled over and took a little break. We also had an impromptu ice cream break while charging the car. We got the smallest cones and it was so much ice cream I couldn't finish! 'Merica.

My parents leave tomorrow, and most of us have an early start due to various soccer tournaments. Not a sleeping in Saturday!

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We've been home the past two days, crafting, playing, and working on home projects. The nickel gap siding is completely painted, the closet door installed, the carriage house railing reinstalled and the carriage house doors working! It's probbaly been many decades since those huge old doors have functioned. It's so satifying to finally get them functional again.

We have lots of silk paintings finished or close to finished...resin art curing...

The weather has been amazing as well. I just want to bask in the sun all day.

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Well, it's been busy lately and I've fallen into bed with good intentions of getting back out and writing in my journal. Good intentions that totally disappeared because I couldn't stay awake!

On Saturday (Oct 19) we had a family work morning painting the carriage house and doing yardwork. Inga had a game in the afternoon, winning 2-1 (she scored one of the goals). My parents arrived and then we went to a really fun fall party: potluck, chili cookoff, bonfires, horseback riding, trunk or treat, and hay rides. A great time.

Sunday was relaxed. I am trying to remember what we actually did and drawing a blank! Oh yeah, now I remember: Eric went with Zari to play Ultimate frisbee, but they didn't have enough people. I brought the other kids to the university athletic facilities. Ivy and Inga swam and Dio went to the weight room, and Zari and Eric joined him there. My parents went to a concert at Wabash, which turned out to be very weird and very loud, so they left during intermission.

Monday was a big day trip with everybody minus Eric (he had to work) plus Zari's boyfriend. We drove up to Indiana Dunes National Park and spent an idyllic day on the lakeshore. It got up to 78 degrees! Amazing for late October on Lake Michigan. I waded in the water and honestly should have gone swimming. Ivy and Inga were in for a while.

The kids had a driftwood lifting contest, beach wrestling matches, and lots of other fun. We also went hiking along some of the dune paths, one of which had over 480 stairs!

We stopped at the Abilene Candy Factory on the way home. I let each child choose 1/4 lb of their candy of choice. We also stopped for dinner on the way home--we originally were planning on getting home in time for dinner but we were all having so much fun that we stayed a lot longer than planned.

Our day ended up being a bit over 12 hours from start to finish. Zari got 5.5 hours of driving time in, some of which was quite stressful with busy freeways and congested roads. But she did it!

Today we stayed home and did lots of crafts and other activities. We canned a massive quantity of applesauce from 3 huge boxes of apples from my parents' trees. A few friends were over for things including silk painting and leather working. My dad helped make frames for the silk painting and got our driveway ready for its annual weed preventer spray. My mom cooked a huge batch of borscht for dinner, which we ate on the front porch. We ended the evening with fire & Smores, then an episode of The Rings of Power.

Will update with pictures later...but I need to get to bed!

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The kids are excited--school break started this evening and grandparents are coming to visit tomorrow!

I had to bring the car in yesterday morning for an alignment. The nearest place that can do it is an hour away. There was another issue with one of the passenger seats spontaneously moving, so they gave me a loaner car while they fixed that as well. I thought it would be several days but it only took until that evening.

Eric had to drive Inga into her soccer practice that evening, so he picked the car up. At the same time, I drove Dio to his new club practice, about 35 minutes away. So much driving.

The nickel gap siding is ready for painting tomorrow. We have all of the nail holes filled courtesy of Ivy, Inga, Zari, and me. I have a few spots to sand on the corners. We'll have a Freeze Family Painting Party tomorrow morning and maybe we'll get the whole first coat done!

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Walking group was chilly this morning! I was glad that I brought a hat and gloves.

I was hoping to go to a university lunch lecture, but I got a last-minute Zoom call that took precedence. It's ok--there are lots of other campus events that I largely ignore or miss 🙂 And honestly, part of it is just for the free food and the interesting lecture is a side benefit.

No one had soccer practice or games today--a miracle! Ivy and Inga went to the last middle school football game for the season and called us halfway through: "We want to come home--we are too cold!" I made them bring two jackets and gloves and they still couldn't stay warm. Wow. This is coming from Ivy who wears shorts and tshirts much of the winter!

We had time to watch one episode of our show after dinner (Eric: street tacos with ingredients from the local Mexican grocery store). Inga has a field trip tomorrow that leaves early and gets home late. I'm letting her wake herself up!

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Yesterday we had plans to swim at the university pool, but then they got foiled by almost everyone having something else going on that afternoon. I am drawing a blank about what I did in the afternoon! It's like totally gone. We did watch an episode of The Rings of Power at some point.

Ivy had a school choir concert, which I got to attend. Eric was off driving Inga and Dio to their respective soccer practices (Dio has started up with a club team now that school soccer is done).

This week's 36-hr fast is 2/3 done and I'm hungry, but not nearly as hungry as I would expect. Weird and nice given that I'm fasting until tomorrow.

I did some filming today (breech-related videos). It's amazing how making maybe 10 minutes of finished videos takes well over a day. I had to set up my studio, get everything exactly as it was 2 years ago (these videos are various updates so they're getting inserted into longer existing videos). I'm still editing at the end of today and then I have to do captions and then get them translated and then produce the videos in 4 other languages. Probably several days of work for 10 minutes!

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Stray cats and skunks

We have this cute stray cat who has been hanging around our house mewling at us. She lets us pet her if we wait for her to come up to us. Inga has fed her bits of meat once or twice so I think we'll be seeing a lot of her.

We were outside sitting on the front lawn late tonight, hoping we'd spot the Northern Lights. No luck...but it was a gorgeous night with a half moon. The cat stayed with us most of the time and got bits of ham and tuna.

Then Inga saw something out of the corner of her eye. She thought it was another stray cat...but no! It was a skunk. We all ran inside and called it a night.

It was a school holiday for everyone today. The kids had a friend over for much of the day. We pulled out all of the costumes and fabric and craft supplies. It's a bit of an explosion of materials but we did make a purse and a skirt by the end of the day.

Ivy had a game about an hour away this evening (losing 3-1), which Inga and Eric attended. Then she came back, grabbed a sleeping bag and pillow, and went to a friend's birthday party/sleepover.

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Everyone came home after school, for the first time the entire school year! Amazing!

Not a whole lot going on otherwise and my left shoulder/neck is really hurting so I'll keep this brief. (Too much computer work.) Tomorrow is a school holiday and the kids are having some friends over. I'm envisioning a day filled with crafts, games, and outdoor time. I hope we can make that happen.

We had time to watch one episode of The Rings of Power tonight.

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Shiplap done, a long wait

Eric and I finished up the shiplap siding late this afternoon. So satisfying! Now I have to paint it....and install the door...and then install the garage door tracks. But it's getting closer!

Dio had his sectional game, which both of us were able to attend. They lost 1-0 so his soccer season is officially over. Zari also had a sectional (away) and lost 5-0 so she is also done. I waited for her at the high school for over 1 1/2 hours! Eric thought she'd be home at a certain time but it turns out her team ate at a fast food restaurant. So I sat in the car...waiting...and waiting.

I did some filming today because we have a few lessons that need updating. I have to do a bit more tomorrow or Friday. Then editing, captioning, translating, etc.

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Stinky morning

We woke up to the smell of skunk. It happens on occasion when there's one in the neighborhood. Zari had to leave early just as it was starting to not be 100% dark. I warned her to be careful going into the garage 🙂

I had a good work day after my morning walking group. When Eric came home in the afternoon, we put up more nickel gap siding in the carriage house. One big wall is totally done and 2 other walls are about half done. Gorgeous weather so it was a pleasure to be outside (kind of) working.

We had time to watch two episodes of the new series we've started: The Rings of Power. I'm loving the costumes, especially that deep teal color that's used in so much of the fabrics.

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Feast of the Hunter's Moon

Yesterday afternoon we took the whole family, plus one friend, to a historical reenactment/festival celebrating Fort Ouiatenon and the history of the French-Indian war. A fun excuse for thousands of people to dress in 18th century garb, do handicrafts, sell food cooked over an open fire, and offer all sorts of diversions such as Highland Games and axe throwing and cannon shooting.

It's been so long since we've been able to do something together as a family.

Dio had sectionals today and his team won 2-1 in a shootout. He'll be playing again on Wednesday. Ivy and Inga are done with school soccer, so they came home right after school today. It was fun and weird to see them home! I was working in the carriage house when they came home. Eric helped me put up more nickel gap siding, and then I started to install the door to the under-stairs closet.

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Champions!

Ivy and Inga's school team are undefeated champions! They haven't lost a single game this season and they just finished a tournament today winning both games 5-0 and 4-0. Inga scored 8 of the 9 goals.

I've been unusually exhausted the last few days. I'm ok during the day but once it's about dinnertime, all I can do is just lie down in bed. What's up with that?

Zari took the SAT again this morning. She has one more scheduled for November.

We got the garage approach poured today and we're just 2 days away from being able to finally use our garage! It's only been 13 years :) The doors are adjusted and working properly. Electricity should be coming in 1-2 weeks.

Inga has a friend over for a sleepover. We'll do a pancake breakfast, have a laid-back morning, and then go to a big historical festival thing in the afternoon.

Here's the newspaper article:

https://www.journalreview.com/stories/cms-girls-soccer-has-undefeated-season,316054

CMS girls’ soccer has undefeated season 

Posted Friday, October 4, 2024 5:00 am 

For the Journal Review 

The Crawfordsville Middle School girls’ soccer team has capped off a phenomenal season with a 7-0-1 record, celebrating both an undefeated regular season and their second consecutive county championship. Under the guidance of longtime coach Laurie Vellner, the team achieved an extraordinary milestone — going undefeated for the first time in Vellner’s 14 years coaching at Crawfordsville Middle School.

“This season has been remarkable,” said Vellner, who has taught at CMS for 18 years. “The girls showed incredible determination and teamwork, and it’s been a joy to see them develop both as athletes and individuals.”

Vellner was supported this year by first-time assistant coach Lisa Talcott and special assistance from Coach Eric Freeze.

The team’s success was driven by the dedication of its eight eighth graders: Inga Freeze, Osiris Herrera, Alicia Fernandez, Krystel Ledezma, Krystal Munoz, Olivia Abney, Maritza Solano and Lexi Cox. Their leadership played a pivotal role in guiding the team to this historic season, with captains Freeze, Cox and Solano leading by example.

“We’ve had a really strong group of eighth graders this year,” Vellner said. “Their leadership and dedication were key to our success, and I’m excited to see where their soccer journeys take them.”

Next up, the team will compete in their conference tournament on Saturday in Lebanon. Vellner is excited to see what the team can accomplish as they aim to finish their season on a high note.

“I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to my fellow coaches, the supportive staff at CMS, and the amazing group of parents who have been so encouraging,” she said. “They’ve truly made this season a success.”

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Inga and I got home at 10:20 pm from her soccer practice. I'm glad I was able to stay alert during the drive there and back. I've had really disuprted sleep the past two nights.

I did a lot of breech computer work (creating volume 3 of our clinical scenarios). Then it was time for a change of pace, so I hauled out our power tools and started installing the shiplap (nickel gap) siding in our carriage house.

I had to scribe the first line of siding since the floor slopes, dips and curves. I also had to rip some 2x4s in half to create 2x2s and sister them onto one of then wall that had been framed as a 2x4 wall, rather than a 2x6 like the rest of the walls. Then I could finally start putting the siding up! I am proud of my scribing job--the first line fits perfectly on all 3 walls. I couldn't have done it with out a laser level.

We're getting a new approach poured and our carriage house doors adjusted. Then we will finally, after more than 13 years, be able to use the garage to park our door and close the garage doors!

Here's to hoping I can sleep better tonight.

Zari had a home game, winning 2-0. She scored one of the two goals!

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Debate night

We let the kids all stay up late to watch the vice-presidential debate. It was definitely much more restrained than the presidential debate!

Vance kept going off-topic and talking about these millions of illegal immigrants who are single-handedly responsible for...

• overrunning entire cities
• taking all of the good jobs
• creating record housing prices by buying up all the housing
• bringing in record levels of fentanyl and other drugs
• probably 1000 other things that he wants to scapegoat someone for

I want to meet these crafty immigrants. I mean, surely they would be on the upper echelons of America by now, given how they have (according to Vance) so successfully taken over everything. Right?

Anyway that's it for American Political Theater for tonight.

Inga and Ivy had a soccer game, winning 4-0.

I did mostly breech work and a tiny bit of work on the carriage house (scribing the bottom layer of nickel gap siding that will go up on the dividing wall). I need to get the table saw set up so I can cut the lines that I marked. Of course they are not straight, but curved. Of course. That will be fun.

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No headache!

I've been drinking lots of electrolyes (it's my long fast day) and so far, no headaches of any significance. That definitely makes a difference.

I did my normal morning exercise and then had a fairly sedentary work day.

Zari and Dio both had games and both teams lost. Bummer. Inga didn't have her extra practice so she was home "early" by 6 pm.

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Early soccer Sunday

Zari, Ivy, Inga and I were up at 6:15 am for...guess what? More soccer! Ivy had an 8 am game about 45 minutes away, then we drove 30 minutes to Inga's game and then a bit over an hour to get home.

It didn't rain too much, just a bit towards the end of Inga's game. Ivy's team lost 2-0 and Inga's won 2-0. Inga didn't score but I filmed a few of her shots on goal.

We had a relaxed afternoon once we were all back home. I've been wanting to lie in bed. I'm not sure if that's bad or entirely sensible. It just feels so amazing to be horizontal and resting my body.

I made chicken soup using broth and leftover chicken from 2 nights ago. I have my long fast coming up again and I'm hoping that I can keep the headaches at bay by taking in enough electrolytes.

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Today felt like a "proper" Saturday, meaning we did chores in the morning, worked on some house projects, made a fire and had Smores, and otherwise had some time together (not all of us together--Eric was still gone with Ivy and Inga most of the day, and Dio was gone half the day). But still...much more like a Saturday than most Saturdays lately.

I only had about 2 hours of breech-related work, which is much less than usual for my weekends. (I know, it would be great to actually not work on the weekends...but so far that has proved nearly impossible.)

I was particularly satisfied with my big garage organization and cleaning effort. We haven't ever cleaned or re-organized since we moved here 13+ years ago! It was time.

We got a big pile of salvaged shiplap boards moved to the carriage house side (they will eventually go back up on the garage ceiling on the carriage house apartment is done)...every item in the entire garage was unpacked, looked at, and packed up in the appropriate crate and then put on the shelves in a logical fashion...floors swept (13 years of dust!)...all items cleared away from the dividing wall to enable us to install shiplap siding on the wall. This will close off the garage side from the carriage house apartment side.

While I was organizing the garage, Zari had a friend over (okay, I think it's fair to call him a boyfriend!). They played fussball, ate lunch, and then went outside and helped me get a fire started so they could make Smores. It took several rounds with the plumbing blowtorch to coax the wet wood into burning...but we did it!

I also made another huge batch of pesto, enough for 8 meals. I now have 17 containers of pesto in the freezer. So satisfying and our basil plants are still going strong. Best decision ever to plant them in early August.

Four of us have a very early morning tomorrow: we have to leave at 6:45 am for Ivy's game, and then Inga's game. Zari is going to drive to get more driving hours in.

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Inga and I got home at 10:30 pm from her soccer practice. I hadn't seen Dio or Ivy all day since they left for school! Ivy was already in bed by time I got home.

Dinner was homemade hamburgers in sourdough buns (I baked a big batch the other day and had lots on hand), edamame, and apple crumble. I had to leave before the crumble was done, and my fasting period had started by time I get back...so I have to wait until Friday to eat it!

Eric went to Dio's home game, which they won 8-0.

I went to get our Tesla's tires aligned, having phone ahead to be sure the place worked on Teslas. No problem, they said. So I brought the car in, waited about 10 minutes, and they came back out: "Sorry, we don't have the right equipment to work on Teslas." Now I have to get it done at the Tesla dealer about an hour away, which means waiting 3-4 weeks for an appointment and paying more than twice the normal fee.

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Rain!

It's so nice to have more rain. The ground is finally softening up and the grass is starting to turn green. But rain also means rides to school, since Zari and Dio normally bike about 2 miles and I don't want them arriving soaking wet.

The rain paused during my morning walking group and started right as we were getting into our cars at the end. Good timing.

I've been working on video editing (specifically inserting translated captions and re-encoding the videos).

Zari had a game winning 3-2. She scored one goal and another kind of when the ball rebounded off her butt and into the goal. She said she also had a lot of really close shots that rebounded off of the goal post. Eric said it was the best her team has played so far this year. Ivy and Inga and a friend went with Eric to watch the game. I stayed home because I had to pick Dio up after his practice.

And amazingly, we were all home for dinner (late, but still...together). We watched one episode of Andor upon promises that the kids, Ivy especially, would go to bed right afterwards.

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Fast days are so slow

I'm doing another full fast today--so about 36 hours of fasting. The hardest part are the headaches that get worse throughout the day. Well, and of course the hunger but that's to be expected!

We are super happy to have had a day of rain, a good soak compared to yesterday's light sprinkles.

Ivy and Inga are on their way home from a middle school game which they tied. They were very frustrated that they couldn't do better. Dio had a home game against a very good team, so it's not super surprising they lost 5-0.

I had to go grocery shopping and cook dinner today. No fun when I can't eat!!

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Homecoming dance

Forgot to write yesterday...here are a few pictures from yesterday's homecoming dance. I thought the wool cap was a nice touch, and Zari's date told her, "I think you were the best dressed girl there." Awwww.

When I dropped them off at the high school, I noticed that the current fashion was sparkles and sequins. So many sparkles.

Apparently it was very loud and Zari remarked that no one really danced: "They just jumped up and down a lot and sang along with the songs." Welcome to dancing in 2024. On the way home to drop her date off, I told them about our college days when we'd go swing dancing and how I took all sorts of ballroom dance classes. (Oh, and Irish dancing, too! But that's a different sort of dance, more performative than interactive.)

We had rain and cooler temperatures today. Ahhhh...Ivy had a game and they lost 1-0. We had a relaxed afternoon and watched 3 episodes of Andor. It's riveting.

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Homecoming!

For the first time ever, our children all experienced high school Homecoming. They are all mystified by American football. Same for me. "It takes forever and nothing happens!" Zari said. But they went and enjoyed themselves with friends. It helps that it was quite warm, meaning they didn't get cold at all when the sun went down.

The kids asked me why it's called homecoming and why we even have such a thing called homecoming and honestly, I don't know. 'Murica.

Another huge soccer weekend spanning from east of Indianapolis all the way to Cinncinnati, Ohio!

I gave a lecture for the University of Utah's Project ECHO series. It was fun and sparked many good conversations. Since I have lots of personal ties to Utah (my grandfather was a civil engineering professor at Utah State, I did my undergrad in UT), I was a bit more keyed up going into it. A lot is at stake! I think we may be able to bring some substantive changes to that part of the country.

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More victories!

I watched Zari's home game, with Eric joining me for the last 20 minutes. Her team won 5-0, with Zari scoring 1 goal and having another beautiful assist. And...Inga and Ivy's game was likewise a success, winning 6-0 (some reportss ay 5-0 and we're not entirely sure, even Eric isn't and he's the assistant coach!). Inga scored all of the goals, including a corner kick that curved and went right into the net.

It was "senior day" and there was a small ceremony and celebration before the game. The seniors were supposed to bring posters about themselves, which Zari opted not to do due to 1) lack of picutres and 2) lack of posterboard on hand and 3) lack of interest.

Turns out there's an unwritten protocol for these posters and it involves a stylized poster with lots of glitter and gold and stick-on letters and mylar balloon and snacks...A bit of an unspoken competition for the parents as well as the students. Note the bare spot on the right where Zari's poster would have gone.

Zari felt bad about opting out but also isn't into the American cultural spectacles. I told her to hold her head up high, enjoy herself, and observe the curious practices of this cultural ritual. "In France, we just go home after the games are done," she said. "We don't celebrate the people who are leaving that year."

Then there was a ceremonial marching onto the field, student by student accompanied by parents and family, with the student's bio being read out on the big speakers.

Dio's team tied (away game, so we didn't watch it) and he is frustrated with his coach. Apparently all they do is conditioning--no technical work, no scrimmaging.

My day was spent video editing and caption editing. Very tedious but necessary work. Plus an evening Zoom meeting.

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Victory!

Ivy and Inga had a middle school soccer game and came back elated. They won 3-2 with Inga scoring all 3 goals. They were tied 2-2 until the last few minutes. Eric said it was of the most exciting games he's ever been to. Ivy said, "I think my stress is going to get passed down to my descendents!"

My day was a bit less exciting. I'm still feeling a bit off, just a touch, so I didn't exercise at the university. Lots of work but the sitting down kind.

Zari was feeling feverish this evening. She went to bed early.

We installed the dishwasher this afternoon and have run it twice already. I very much appreciate dishwashers. Since I had the electrical toolbox out, I decided to tape over all the annoying LED indicators on my computer, monitor, and other electronics on my desk. I hate having bright blue LEDs lighting up my bedroom!

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I feel a bit ill, slightly weak and feverish. Not enough to put me in bed but enough to wish I were in bed!

Video editing all day, except for a brief visit to a rental unit to oversee a fridge delivery, then a zoom meeting this evening. We had time to watch and episode of Andor. We have a new dishwasher but it was too late to install it this evening (our old one had a hidden leak--we only knew because the floors started buckling but there was never any visible water until we removed the dishwasher).

That's about it. No soccer games today either!

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I woke up well before 4:30 am with lots on my mind and couldn't get back to sleep. I read for a while, then laid there and pretended I was asleep. I was on the fence about exercising, but since I had to drop kids off at school (game day, so they don't take their bikes), I made myself go to the gym.

Pretty quiet day as usual. I recorded and edited a conference presentation for an upcoming ICEA conference. I also had a parent consultation meeting.

I'm stretching my fasting muscles today and am fasting all day through tomorrow. I may not make it until lunch but we'll see...

Ivy and Inga's game was cancelled this evening. This allowed me and Eric to watch Zari's home game (Dio had an away game). I was laughing just watching Eric get so worked up and yelling all sorts of coaching advice. I doubt anyone can hear him but it makes him feel better, I guess. For the last 10 minutes he got up and started pacing up and down the edge of the field. Ultimately Zari's team lost 4-2.

You know what stinks? Cooking dinner and not being able to eat a single bite. I made something simple (pierogis, broccoli, and edamame) and fled the scene as quickly as possible.

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More driving! More soccer! Less sleep!

Ivy was up at 6 am for a very early departure. I got her sent off and fortunately was able to get a bit more sleep in before I had to bring Inga to her game. Zari came with as the chaffeur.

We dropped Inga off and had some extra time on our hands before the game started, so we make a quick grocery run. Unfortunately, we got back a bit after the game had started and we missed a beautiful goal by Inga!! 🙁

Her team ultimately won 4-0.

We were all home by mid-afternoon and enjoyed taking it easy (everyone but Eric, who played Ultimate Frisbee and came back tired, sweaty, and happy). We had time to watch two episodes of Andor.

Guess what tomorrow brings? More soccer x4 children!

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Another big soccer day

Eric and Inga left at 8 am for a tournament a few hours away. Once everyone was awake, I took Zari thrift shopping and she found 2 pairs of pants and a t-shirt. I count that as a big win becuase it's really hard to get her to shop at all.

It's supposed to be very hot for the next week or more with no rain in sight. So no yard work today.

I had a breech live session at noon.

I prepared a very early dinner because I had to bring Ivy to another soccer game at 4:30, getting home around 8:30. Eric and Inga came home about an hour later.

And...more soccer tomorrow! Ivy leaves at 6:30 am, then I drive Inga to hers at 10 am. Both are around an hour away.

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What a treat--we had 3 of the 4 kids home today after school! Zari was home extra early, around 1:30 pm. Ivy had a game this evening about an hour away, and Zari came along to get more driving hours in. After they left, Inga and I went thrift store shopping and found several items of clothing for each of us. We got home just before Dio.

I started my day with exercise at the university, then spent a few hours doing repairs on a rental property. Then back to my usual computer work.

We've got another weekend full of soccer tournaments with multiple kids in multiple directions, some a few hours away. Phew.

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Since Zari and Dio both had games (Zari's in town), I got to drive Inga to her far-away practice. We hit a total road shutdown on the way so we were 15 minutes late. From start to finish, it was over 4.5 hours to drive there, wait, and drive home. Too long! This is crazy! And she's doing this 3x per week not including games.

It's too bad we can't get Zari to do the driving. Maybe she'd be able to ger her 50 required driving hours in!

Zari's game didn't go well; they lost 7-1, I think. I'm not sure about Dio's yet.

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My morning started with a Zoom meeting with someone in Australia...which means that I skipped my normal exercise for MWF. Ivy and Inga had a game at the high school, winning 2-1 with Inga scoring the first goal.

I did a bit of yard work at dusk.

What else? Took a trip to Home Depot to buy a new dishwasher for our house (ours is on its last legs and leaking) and a fridge for a rental property. I also enjoyed watching several recaps of the Harris-Trump debate, both serious and comedic.

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Debate

Everyone is buzzing about the Harris-Trump debate. Oh my. We were yelling at the screen and then laughing in astonishment and then rolling our eyes. The best part is yet to come via the "immigrants eating cats and dogs" memes (I've already seen some amazing ones!) and comedy shows and analysts' commentary. Seriously it's going to be so hard to do anything productive tomorrow.

I missed the first half; I was upstairs working and then had to pick up Zari from an away game. We all watched the last half together, even though it was late for Ivy.

I have a number of projects I'm coordinating outside of breech-related work (repairs and renovations of various sorts on 3 properties, running underground water/sewer/electric to our garage, deciding which trees to plant and where after our lumberjacking). I've also got to do BWB taxes at some point...

I made a nice tidy to-do list, compiled from several post-it notes and a piece of scratch paper filled front to back with notes.

Oh, Zari's game went very well! They won 2-1 and Zari scored the first goal from a through ball. (I learned today what a "through ball" is because to me, I just see balls being kicked around and didn't know there were names for the varations of how and where to kick them.)

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Back to our weekday schedule, in which I don't see any children until 6 pm at the earliest. Why are we doing this?

I started a big spreadsheet for Zari's university applications. She's already enrolled in France this year but wants to see what her others could be for the following year. She's very interested in the University of Ottawa because it's bilingual and in a great city. We need to stay on top of these applications because there are so many forms and deadlines.

Still, she has a fantastic option that is (almost) free if she decides to stay in Nice. And it's a 3-year program so she could be done faster and have plenty of time for graudate school if that interests her.

It's cold inside the house! Just 5 days ago it was over 90 degrees and now I'm layering on all the sweaters. But it's supposed to get hot again this week--close to 90. We put winter comforters on all the beds because we were getting too cold at night.

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A big soccer weekend

For the next month our lives will be dominated by soccer. Then, once the school soccer season ends, it will be more reasonable (although once school teams end, we're adding MORE soccer by doing an indoor league).

Yesterday Dio had a morning game (taking the bus with his school team). The rest of us drove in with Zari behind the wheel. We dropped Eric off to see the first half of Dio's game, then brought Ivy to hers, which was just 5 miles away. Once we dropped Ivy off and waited a bit in the car (it was chilly!), we went back to get Eric and brought him to Ivy's game.

Zari and I took another short drive to Aldi to buy some snacks. We saw the last half of Ivy's game and then we all drove home.

As we were pulling into our driveway, Eric realize he had left his chair, backpack, and wallet at the soccer field! (30 minutes away). So he had to drive all the way back and fortunately they were still there.

We had a relaxed afternoon. I got the kids to help with more yardwork (transporting mulch). In the evening we made a fire, made S'Mores, and then watched the first episode of Andor.

Today was...guess what?...more soccer! Inga and I left at 10 am for her game a bit over an hour away. A bit later, Eric drove Ivy to her game that was 30 minutes away. Inga's team won 2-1, with Inga scoring the first goal. Sadly, I missed it because I had accidentally scheduled a Zoom meeting during the same time as her game. So I was stuck in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's (free wifi) at a meeting. I saw the last 10 minutes of her game. Ivy's team lost 3-0.

So yeah, so much soccer. At least the rest of the day was more relaxed. I took an inadvertent nap while reading. Eric, Zari, and I went on a walk before dinner. And then after dinner we watched two more episodes of Andor.

Phew. I need a weekend to recover from the weekend!

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Lots of computer work and Zoom meetings today. I got some big things checked off my to-do list, which is satisfying.

Eric, Inga, and Zari are on their way home from an evening game about an hour+ away. Zari came to get driving hours in.

Ivy and I took a late evening walk at dusk today.

Not much else happening at the moment...

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I'm back from the Amish midwife meeting! The drive was uneventful and required only one charging stop.

Ivy and Inga had a middle school game and they won 11-0. Dio is still gone at his game (away).

I'm trying to catch up with emails and also transfer all my computer files over. It's been an enormous task since I have files in various locations and I'm also backing up my external hard drives at the same time.

As I was cleaning up files, I found this stop-motion movie that the kids were working on over the summer. They had planned a long epic film and this is scene 1.

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Midwestern Midwives Meeting

I traveled down to Fulton, MO for a gathering of around 100 Amish and other Plain midwives. It's been a lovely event. They have been so friendly and welcoming, even though I'm the outsider.

They scheduled me for a 2-hour presentation this afternoon. I did my best to cover the most important aspects of breech, knowing that this could not be a comprehensive training. I had all sorts of teaching materials with me: giant pelvis, Sophie and Her Mum simulator, regular doll & pelvis, full-color cardstock handouts, clinical scenario booklets, and of course our new books.

I didn't want to be driving late at night, so I'll stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning. My IUD car (seriously, that's all I can think of when I see the Tesla logo) is plugged in and charging overnight.

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American picnic, family weeding party, more soccer

Yesterday we had a lovely languid afternoon out in the country at an informal picnic. It was a friend of Zari's from school and his family, extended family, and family friends. We had perfect weather and a quintessentially American afternoon:

✓ Turn of the century farmhouse nestled among corn and soy fields
✓ Ducks, rabbits, sheep, dogs, and cats
✓ Classic rock playing softly in the stereo in the garage
✓ Beverages nestled inside coolers filled with ice, set next to hay bales in the garage
✓ Potluck meal with fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, several pasta salads, green salads, fruit platters, chips & dip, cookies, bars, and other desserts (I brought sourdough rolls, not knowing this was an event involving food, so it was a lucky guess!)
✓ Wiffleball game in one of their fields as the sun was coming nearer the horizon

Today is a national holiday, but not at the university. While Eric was up at work, I rounded up the children for an hour of weeding and landscaping. They were remarkably good-spirited and got tons of work done. Dio mostly did the trimmer and blower. Ivy and Inga shoveled mulch into the wheelbarrow. Zari weeded and spread mulch.

Inga and Ivy went to a soccer practice out of town this evening. I headed out on a walk with Dio and Zari just as they were pulling back into the driveway. They're so much fun to hang out with. I feel like a tiny teeny little person next to Dio (and I'm not short!).

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This morning started with sleeping in until almost 8:30! It felt amazing because I have been sleeping poorly this week. I made a big pancake breakfast for the sleepover crowd. They all left by late morning.

We had a Freeze Family yardwork day after lunch. We got about an hour of work out of the kids before they petered out. I stayed and, with the help of someone I'm paying, we got a massive amount of weeding and cleanup done. I finished when Zari called me in for dinner.

We watched Vesper, a post-apocalypic movie that was interesting and a bit weird. Eric and I went on a walk this evening, appreciating the cooler weather.

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