The Latta Family

Happy Week 2 of Quarantining!!! This week was a legit quarantine for us.  Week 1 we got out, we went shopping for food to donate to a local charity, and helped deliver food, and my kids hung out with neighbors and friends.  Then Friday night, I blogged, I drank- got a little drunk (I'm a total light weight), and put the family on legit Lock Down. I went into the week with a pretty positive attitude and it has stayed that way.  I am a person that requires routines and I set one up that has been very good for us.  We've even eaten vegetables!!!!  Every day this week.  That's practically unheard of for us.  Randomly my house has been clean all week.  How is that even happening?!  Somehow when we're all here all the time, it's clean- and when we fly in and out of the house for a brief moment- it's a mess.  There are many mysteries in the world (this week has sure proven that!). Saturday I discovered TikTok.  If you're not on TikTo...

Soooo it's Friday of the first 5 full days of being "quarantined."  Monday I wasn't fully quarantined because I went to school, finalized a few things and then came home and created a schedule, which exhausted me and so I had to lay on the couch and eat junk until I got myself back in order. Tuesday- Doug went to work (because we thought it was a workday), but I stayed home because I realized I needed to get  my kids into a routine and try to hammer it into Andrew's head this wasn't Spring Break, so he wasn't living his funnest, best life.  Towards the afternoon it got too much so I went for a walk and spent the evening on the couch, until I felt in order. Wednesday we had our first virtual faculty meeting.  Directly after that I hid in the closet and ate chocolate for 30 minutes.  Then I don't remember what I did after that.  But Wednesday night I had a firm talk with myself and told myself I was not going to be like this.  I can adapt and adjust ...

I really entertained the heck out of myself this evening- at the expense of Andrew. It started earlier this week.  He asked if we were doing anything this weekend, because one of his friends was having some friends over on Saturday evening to celebrate the friend's birthday, and then another friend was having friends over on Sunday for the same reason.  I looked at Doug and said, "I think that'll be okay- Dad can go on Saturday, and I'll go on Sunday?"  Andrew's face was horrified.  "Wait- you're going?!!!!" "Yes! Of course!  We know both of these young men, and like them!  We want to celebrate too."  "Mom!" "HAH! Just kidding! Of course we're not going!! Or . . . are we?????" Tonight, I drive him over to his friend's house.  On the way I talk about how I can't wait to meet the friend's mom. I mean, Dad has met her, I should too.  He's all, "Mom, you're just messing with me." T...

A few weeks ago I realized I was spending a ridiculous amount of time on my phone a day.  A fair amount of that time was spent on Instagram. I have several Instagrammers I love to follow. Realizing how much time I was spending on my phone, I tried to pare who I am following down.  I tried to stick to people that I felt like were authentic, and not trying to sell me something.  A lot of them are home decorators, but I follow a couple of beauty influencers, a comedian, food/diet bloggers, friends and local businesses.  A couple of my favorites are because I like to watch their toddlers.  One in particular is a beauty blogger, turned influencer.  I've followed her for probably 7 years now.  I discovered her on Pinterest, followed her to her blog, watched her YouTube videos, and then followed her to Instagram.  I love her because even though she's a beauty blogger, and a lot of times the make up she recommends is more expensive than I would buy, she...

 I've long since joked that Doug should have been a cult leader because he has some very loyal students.  Some of his students are still very much part of our lives as friends, fellow church members, hair stylists, horse riding instructors, dental hygienist, plumbers, fellow teachers. . . . I could go on.  Some of his students are part of our memories, like when Matt was parking the tractor and .. . , or when they came to school and . . . or when . . . we could go on forever.  Several of his girls have babysat my kids.  I know their families and when I run into them in Walmart or wherever, I ask how their mom/brother/dad is.  While I've known his students before, this group of his students I know even better because I'm around them a lot, since they are Doug's students and Andrew's friends. And I'm fine with it.  It's such a great group of kids.  They're smart, motivated, care about their communities, are involved, have interests, are well parent...

For me, 65% of parenting is entertaining myself.  When Andrew was 10, he was quite argumentative.  I issued a new policy, he could always have the last word, as long as the last words, were these: Did it work?  I doubt it, but I giggled to myself imagining him responding to me that way.   I FaceTime Andrew from different locations of the house to tell him it's time to turn his phone in and go to bed, or take out the trash, or whatever.  Because he answers, and I see him, I know he hears what I've said, and then I hang up super fast, so he can't argue with me about it.  And I giggle that he still picks up the FaceTime's from me, because he's hopeful that this time it'll be something fun (that's the trick- sometimes it is fun!  It keeps him from getting conditioned).  Well, one of my mother's good lifetime friends, gave me an absolutely BRILLIANT idea, and I put it into action today.  Alexa's Art Studio is "in business."...

My youngest child has been monopolizing my parenting brain here lately.  It's been brewing for weeks.  We had a minor episode a few weeks ago, and then on Monday it really blew up.  Alexa is my little artist.  Although- she doesn't consider what she does art.  She considers it crafting.  I think she only says crafting because I "craft."  Recently, she started a project and now that I see it in its completion, it is pretty awesome.  However, the process to getting there . . . She was crafting in our bonus room.  She would go up there, turn on the tv, and craft away.  For awhile she was making creations with popsicle sticks and hot glue.  She was using the hot glue gun on the floor- getting it on the carpet.  I made a new rule, "Hot Glue Gun is only to be used on the table." She has a table for crafting.   Then she moved on to using acrylic paints.  After I discovered her painting on the carpet, I had to make a...