A Peek at the Poulsens

ACT Clinic took a break this week for the beginning of the semester so I've had five straight weekdays without going to Omaha. It has been GLORIOUS and I've loved every minute! Not that I mind going to Omaha, but I've been feeling lately that I'm never home  and this break came at the perfect time. picking Natalie up from school Monday I was productive all day - I did a ton of the little or big chores that I've been putting off or haven't had time to do (clean/organize/vacuum the basement, wash out trash cans, clean out both cars, organize the desk, etc) and that felt amazing. Then Tuesday the boys and I dropped Natalie and Austin off in the morning and basically didn't leave the house again til we picked them up. We watched movies, had cozy time on the couch, and lounged around all day together. Wednesday and Thursday have been a mix of productivity/lounging, and it's just been so nice. We've played at parks, gone grocery shopping, played wit...

Everyone says moms are emotional when they send their kids to school, but I really felt just excited and calm about Natalie going to Kindergarten. waiting for 7:40 so she can go in! Then we pulled up to school on that first day and my chest felt like a 100-pound rock was crushing it, and I had a huge lump in my throat as I rotated through so many emotions: fear excitement sadness anxiety love excitement nervousness terror protection concern love pride joy pride love protection worry distrust doubt pride  I didn't let anyone see what I was feeling, but the pressure and the lump only grew bigger as I walked Natalie up to the steps to wait for the doors to open so she could go inside for breakfast. She looked so SMALL. Teeny teeny tiny Natsby with a backpack bigger than she is standing half as tall as the big 5th graders. My heart could hardly stand it! Natalie and I had been talking excitedly the whole morning, but we reached a lull when the doors o...

For over a year we've been hearing about the solar eclipse happening August 21, 2017. Well, today was the day! All summer it's been all safety precautions, background science, and predictions about what it would be like. My mom and I happened to be at a Hy-Vee last week and we saw people waiting in a line wrapping around the entire store for a shipment of eclipse glasses that wasn't coming for another 2 hours! It was crazy. (I picked up some glasses a few weeks ago, line-free - thumbs up for planning ahead!) The hype was real and it was everywhere! T-shirts, travel arrangements, all the hotel rooms in Lincoln were booked...ALL OF THEM! The area for private jets to fly in to the Lincoln airport was full to capacity, and officials have been worried about traffic and highway safety for months leading up to this one day. This map shows the "path of totality" across the United States. "Totality" is when the moon is 100% in front of the sun. Areas outs...

We have a five-year-old! She has been looking forward to her birthday for months  and she was so excited when it was FINALLY her day. She could hardly sleep the night before - this girl knows how to anticipate! Decorations the night before, and the little book we put together with comments and stories from various people who sent me their messages. So many people love our Natsby! I hope this book will be something she'll treasure as she gets older; if not, I know I will. She woke up bright and early, naturally (although not much brighter and earlier than normal) and got right down to present business. We got her lots of little things so she'd have more to open, since that's probably her favorite part of the whole affair. She immediately changed into her new outfit and birthday crown, and had a delicious breakfast of peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and cream! She was very kind and let the boys share her presents and breakfast. She is one that enjoys experienci...