Retreating A Bit And School Update

 Since Briana started back to school (after her birthday festivities), I have retreated into my shell big time. I feel like a bit of a hermit. I haven't really wanted to go out or do much of anything. When I get overstimulated, I need some time to decompress. Summer's activities really overstimulated me this year. I haven't made plans with anyone lately, and I have just been hanging out with Doug and Bri.

I did get out of the house with my two peeps Saturday evening. We had a nice dinner and then we stopped at the local party store. I needed to return a few items that I ended up not using for Briana's birthday party. 

The party store is already starting to get into the swing of things for Halloween. Doug and Bri had a blast trying on all sorts of costume accessories. Bri could have stayed there for hours...

I helped Bri work on a couple of book reports Sunday afternoon. Doug headed to his very first coaches meeting for soccer. Other than that, the weekend was really uneventful.

Bri was back to school on Monday. So far, the week has been quiet.  I did a have a nice lunch date with a friend yesterday. It got me out of my shell a bit. I didn't realize how much I needed some girl time.

Bri wore her balloon skirt to school on Tuesday. I tried to pull off the exact same look in 9th grade. Didn't work at all. A boy that had a crush on told me he hated balloon skirts - crushed my spirit a little. It was character building I suppose. ;)

Bri, on the other hand, totally adorbs...

And Venture class is starting back up for Bri on Thursday. Briana is so nervous about it. She will have a new Venture teacher this year, so that isn't helping. Venture can be hard sometimes - and Briana really doesn't like hard.

She has to present her pizza box project tomorrow - this is the poem we came up with...

 In other news, my kid just turned in an application to join the running club at school. She starts next week - two afternoons a week. And soccer practice starts next week too. I'm a little worried she is taking on too much. But she really, really, really wanted to join running club, so I am letting her at least try it...

Briana is so different than I was at elementary school age. I was fairly outgoing and Bri is a bit more shy. I was eager to please - I wanted to do my school work well to impress the teachers. And while Bri is very bright, she prefers to drag her feet when she has to do school/homework. Sometimes she has a "let's get this over with" kind of attitude. If there is some sort of artistic quality to it, then she is all over it. But if not, she isn't thrilled.

She's very athletic and I was so not that at all in school. If any sort of running was required when I was a kid, I walked (did not run - heh) the other way. Except for dancing. I loved to dance - that was my "thing." I took several years of dance classes. Briana could care less about taking a dance class. She did like her Chinese dance class, but a lot of culture was infused into that and that made it more likable for her.

 I was a sweet, happy, friendly and (probably overly) emotional kid in elementary school - and I do see a lot of that in Bri. I hope her sensitivity and shyness don't get her chewed up and spit out by the other kids though. I did (and still do) have a quick temper (surprised?). I was bullied a couple times as a kid. I would try to suck it up as best as I could and then I would eventually come out swinging. If I was really pushed too far, I did finally stick up for myself (I've had to do that in my adult years too). I'm not sure if Bri is capable of sticking up for herself yet. If push comes to shove, I hope she can figure it out.

Speaking of emotional, Daddy did a little traveling this week and Bri always misses him so much when he's gone. Here she is talking to him Tuesday evening...

Doug got home around lunchtime today (Wednesday) and he just headed out to pick B up from school. He's going to surprise her. She is going to be soooo happy.

Things will pick up now (starting this weekend) when it comes to extracurricular activities and weekend activities as well, so we'll see just how busy life gets. I have really enjoyed the calm before the storm (so to speak).

 I don't know why I am feeling this way. Underwhelmed. Just feeling a lack of enthusiasm to do much of anything. And whenever I start feeling this way (because it has happened before), I start feeling guilty about it. I am the queen of never giving myself a break.

I need to get my groove back soon. I better start looking for it.