We’ve Got a Cellist!

Okay, peeps.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the only constant in raising kiddos is change.

Their bodies change. Their brains change. Heck, social skills, friend dynamics and those raging hormones all change. And you can better bet those teenage aptitudes and interests change all the ever-loving time.

So…I wasn’t holding my breath for Little Man to express interest in the 5th Grade Strings Program that feeds into the Middle School Orchestra.

Especially since…following in an older sibling’s footsteps (in this case, Chica) can be a positive, but it can sometimes be a negative. 

(See above comment about the only constant being—say it again with me again, people—change.)

So color me shocked and shaken and truly tickled pink (while also wary) when Little Man came home with the participation packet and the declaration that he was IN. Like, so in that he would have bumped robotics—though, thankfully, we received word that he can manage both. Whew!

I spent the week in between the packet coming home and the official launch meeting on the edge of my seat. Would he commit?? For realsies??? Even without any of his dude friends along for the ride???

Well.

I can tell you the answer to that is a resounding: YES.

So resounding that last night’s meeting and selection of a musical instrument pathway was nothing but joy, joy, JOY.

And holy moly, what a surprise:

I now have a CELLIST up in the hizzouse!! Woop woop!

That’s right. The sorting hat (but basically, Little Man’s brain) did its thing and the cello spoke to him, even when he went in planning on viola, and I am so stinking thrilled that I can’t even stand it!

It feels so PERFECT for my lively dude.

He definitely has the personality—and stature—big enough to handle the instrument!! Woohoo!

He was literally bursting with happy vibes as we went through the instrument rental process. And he was hella proud to rock that thing like a backpack on the way out.

He is all-the-way IN and ready to start the twice-weekly lessons, next week.

You know, I have to say…I'm a seasoned enough parent to recognize what a big deal this is, selecting a musical instrument launch point.

Though I have to allow for that change, change, change to rear its ugly head and do its thing, it’s just as likely that this is the beginning of a beautiful musical journey for Little Man—much like Chica’s 5th Grade Strings launch, four years ago. 

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2022/09/strings-zing.html?m=1

It’s unbelievable to look at those pics of Chica and acknowledge how quickly time has flown. And how much she’s grown as a musician.

In fact, she’s been Little Man’s biggest cheerleader on this front, and the person he was most excited to surprise with his instrument selection.

And watching her so naturally dive right in to tune the strings after hearing just one note—man, it’s such a reminder that leaps and bounds might seem to happen overnight but it’s a one day at a time learning curve.

For months they’re plucking strings, then they’re having their first adorable Mary Had A Little Lamb concert, and…next thing you know it, they’re in an Honors Orchestra in High School.

As always, I’m just so grateful for anything my kiddos are willing to try and put their effort in to, and…I just can’t wait to watch this all unfold.

So, here’s to another musician in the house! A CELLIST, to add to our violinist and tentative clarinetist!

More soon, peeps!

Over and out. 

Mandatory Mama & Son Time!

Hellooooo, peeps, from the third week of onboarding the new school year!

My crew is still functioning with some stability, but...we're feeling the growing pains, for sure.

Our literal (and metaphorical) gas tanks are emptying faster than ever (hello, Elementary, Middle and High--oh my!).

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2026/08/elementary-middle-high-oh-my.html

Our new, top-notch, digital wall calendar is FULL and free time is EMPTY.

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2026/08/catch-up-to-keep-up.html

And, there's never (ever!) as much sleep as we all need.

But, thanks to so many hard-won lessons (that I'm still constantly learning, if I'm being honest), our expectations of free time are quite low these days, we're really trying to maximize joy and mental health, when possible, and...we're growing more adept at bobbing and weaving with alllllllll the challenges that face a family of our age and stage.

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2025/03/big-picture-posts-family-schedule.html

Change is the only constant, right???

Which is an excellent segue for this particular post--all about implementing a new and amazing routine for Little Man that we're LOVING.

The kind of routine that has become so Mission Critical in just a short amount of time that I can't believe we ever survived without it.

(Real quick--I'll give you a couple of pictures so you don't have to wade through even more text before you get any!)

Okay, now...let's back up, for context:

Last year was the first school year with Little Man left behind in Elementary while his sisters were in a different school.

And though it was a bit sad at first (no sibling wants to feel left behind and/or reminded of their birth order), I quickly learned to appreciate the benefits.

Namely, the solo time with Little Man crazy-early in the morning and when he arrived home from school--before anybody else!

Just that bit of "found" Mama & Son time with him felt like such a gift and I was glad for it.

That said, we eventually fell into a bit of a routine after school that never quite set well with me.

Little Man would arrive home hot and wiped and ready for a brain break. Most days, he'd opt to skip a snack and retreat upstairs for a bit of mindless time on his iPad or watching TV.

Of course, I understood why he needed that decompression time. I truly did.

So after some hugs and the briefest rundown of his day, I'd let him make his escape while I continued on with my own tasks and mountain of To'Do's, but...the whole thing just felt like a terrible, unsettled waste. 

Because, an hour later, the girlies would descend with mountains of homework and places to be and help that was needed. And then sometime around dinner, I'd be like: Where's my son; I haven't seen him in a couple of hours??

I'd get a brief, dinnertime sighting, the Little Man would disappear again while the girlies required more of my time and car services, and...man.

Little Man just constantly received the leftovers. (Probably not entirely accurate, but that's sure how it felt!)

Of course, this sort of thing is a problem for all households with kiddos of varying ages/stages.

Some kiddos just reach critical junctures with more activities and more demanding homework before others (obviously; it's a basic, birth order conundrum), and finding time for everyone is a whole thing. 

Now.

In conjunction with all of the above, two things became evident to me, this Summer.

First, Little Man has officially joined his sisters' ranks of Brooding Tween/Tween (SO scary).

And, second, Little Man thrives on connectivity--with friends, with family, with anybody--and gets a bit blue if he doesn't have somebody to hang or play with. Even when he doesn't realize why he's blue.

So...if you're still following along with this bloated lead-in to today's topic, this Cliff's Notes is this:

Heading into this school year, I felt a strong need to carve out more and better quality time for my son. Something that would become the new normal. And I just had to figure out a way to accomplish it!

Enter: video games as a negotiating tactic, ha.

Little Man is at that age where he wants to be gaming (while on his headset, talking to his friends) as much as humanly possible.

But it has to be said that I loathe video gaming. I find it to be really destructive to productivity and moods (much in the way of social media) and I've been a strong proponent of setting very strict limitations on his gaming.

So when he came to the hubby and I, trying to negotiate new and different terms for his school year gaming, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to come to an agreement.

In addition to his daily chores and the completion of his homework, to earn gaming on a school day, Little Man has to make it through a certain amount of quality time--with ME.

Brilliant, yes???

You'd think that he'd balk at this sort of annoying, forced time with his mother, but...it's been absolutely, completely wonderful.

Instead of coming home from school and slinking upstairs for 99% of the remainder of the evening, each day, we have a plan for what we're doing together. We tackle any homework or To-Do's, and then we DO something. TOGETHER.

Does it require a lot of planning?

YES.

Are there days when one or both of us would much prefer to veg out or divert attention to other pursuits?

Also, YES.

But is it always rewarding and joyful and meaningful conduit for connection?

YES, YES, and YES!!!

We toggle between doodling (a huge win for us and something we've desperately missed!), baking, going on food or beverage jaunts, or even tackling something silly like bathing Coda girl.

Every so often, I can tell Little Man starts our chosen Mama & Son Time task kind of ready to just check that box and move on with life, but...after a few minutes of digging into our activity, I always win him over--and manage to get him talking more about his day. ;)

These days, we're often deep in the weeds of whatever time we're spending together, right up to the point where my next child arrives home from school. And, honestly, it's been such a positive shift--plus a way to alleviate guilt when I have to later divert attention to siblings--that I truly can't believe we ever structured our afternoons differently.

Life will not always allow us this opportunity to connect.

In fact, things will shake up again next year, when Little Man goes to Middle School, and I have two kiddos arriving home at the same time, again.

But for now, this mandatory time is absolutely Mission Critical to the mental health of both my son and myself, and I'm so grateful we've launched this routine right at the start of a fresh, new year.

Okay...I'm going to shut it, now, and share a whole slew of fun pics of all that we've done together--with many more to come in future months!

Our crew is already eyeing this holiday weekend as a mini finish line! But we're going to have to earn it through survival of a very busy week!

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Over and out.

Summerween & PSL Dreams!

Okay, peeps.

It’s HERE.

The beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte is BACK, and I am soooooooo here for it!

I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone who knows me that I am an early and often celebration kind of gal.

Yes, yes, I know there are oodles and gobs of purists out there who don’t want to see a pumpkin anywhere in sight until mid-September at the earliest, but I am not one of those people!

I live for the day after July 4th because I know it’s only a matter of time before Fall decor and scents are stocked in my holy trifecta of: Homegoods, Bath & Body Works and Tarjay. And if it’s autumnal vibes in my fave places, it’s autumnal vibes in my life!

Even my kids accept the fact that Mama’s a little cray-cray and the Halloween merch is going to start appearing as soon as humanly possible!

In fact, in mid-July, we went for a family night out to Cracker-Barrel with a pop over to shop for spooky decor and the excitement was real.

And when I needed a little retail therapy that same week, I popped over to get a fix of candle and soaps and alllllll the spooky, glorious things, and I *might* have left the store with skull soap dispensers and a cauldron candle holder and it wasn’t even double-digits in July, yet. Tehe.

And don’t let Chicklet fool you: she claims to be a purist and often tries to get me to hold out on my obnoxious early-Fall love, but she was the first to wear the new autumnal pajamas I got her. And she wore them loud and proud, I might add. ;)

Which left Little Man free to bust out his oodie:

And Chica happily jumped on the bandwagon:

And don’t let the hubby fool you: he was more than excited to add some fun, new plates to our Halloween collection:

And it was glorious to utilize said plates for the baked apple cider donuts I made this past weekend!

I know there are millions out there who think people like me are nuts for enjoying these festive things so dang early in a season, BUT…

I’m a big, big believer in sparking joy in any and every way, and the slide to full autumnal glory is literally my favorite time of year, so I’m going to lean in—this and every year!

And I guess the sentiment is genetic, since I got this text from my eldest, this afternoon. ;)

More tomorrow on all of the autumnal doodle happenings!

Happy PSL Tuesday, peeps!

Over and out.