Friday

It's Friday, and the weekend is coming! :) All those things I didn't get done yesterday are awaiting me. Conferences went wonderfully. I am so proud of my student! :) I look forward to my younger daughter's conferences in December, as well. She is also a good student. That makes me very proud. :)
I did manage to get some things done yesterday, but not everything I had on the list. That's ok. Some of it is fun like organizing my scrapbook items. Since I hadn't done it in a while, I have things spread out everywhere. I need to reorganize. :)) But, I told myself that is a treat for after the crawlspaces are done. :)
I am off to first grade today, in the same school that I started the school year in, but in a different classroom. It's Friday and the weather's warm, so they should be able to get out at recess time and enjoy it! :)
We had a "growing older" dilemma here, this week. Our youngest has been in Girl Scouts since first grade. It's been a great thing for her. She has learned leadership skills, responsibility, empathy... all the skills Girl Scouts use. But, this year they changed the weekday that we met right before school started. We thought she'd still be able to attend, but soccer games were on Wednesdays, as well as our church youth group. She'd been looking forward to the church group, and now was unable to attend it due to the meetings. She would struggle each Wednesday, and we would, too. We told her she was becoming overscheduled on Wednesday and needed to make a choice. She cried, and I felt awful, but she chose to work on her faith journey and leave Girl Scouts. The leader generously offered for her just to attend the activities that she could, and miss meetings for a while, but that didn't seem fair to the girls who could attend every week...
So, tonight is her last Girl Scout activity. It's sad for both of us because she has worked hard over the years to complete so many things, individually and as part of the group, and she has learned so much about community and service. It's sad watching your kids grow up. I can't imagine if they move far away, like Isabelle's children or Molly's family. I'm not ready! WAIT, TIME!! :)
Speaking of time flying, I just read that it's only 41 days until Christmas??!! Usually I'm one of the people who is saying "It starts earlier and earlier in these stores. Pretty soon they'll be putting their Christmas stuff out in January, right after Christmas!" But this year I'm excited! :) Just the feel of the season, heck, I'm ready to play the music now! (But then I'd be tired of it before Christmas!:)) I have big plans. I made a note to my three family members asking what traditions were most important to them, so we're sure we get what is important to us during this season. We also discussed as a family that we need to volunteer our time to neighbors and friends: watching kids while parents wrap presents, playing with neighbors' pets if they're out late or for a few days, etc. What ways can we help others this holiday season? These things we're putting on a homemade advent calendar. Hopefully this way it's not "gimme gimme gimme" and it's more about being a good Christian citizen. I think I'm in the seasonal mood because last night the girls and I went shopping for our Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes. They have to be turned in to our church by Sunday so they can be mailed. It was really fun! :)

That's all for now! I hope you have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY! :)