Go Mommy Go!
This is what I see as I back out of my garage stall for work each morning. It is a sign that my Peter and the kids held up for me as they cheered me on during my first Iron Girl duathlon two years ago. Peter found it in the closet and posted it for me to see every morning when I leave. It really helped me to have those words usher me away to another work day, especially Monday mornings. It gives me a boost of motivation. I see the sign and think to myself "That's right work week, I'm ready for you. Bring it on! "Go Mommy Go! The thing is the kids are asleep when I leave the house at sunrise. The other day I stayed home a bit longer to go to an appointment near our house. The kids were up; we had some waffles together on a weekday together, a rare treat. But the reality is when it was time for me to leave. I didn't hear the encouraging "Go Mommy Go!" I heard. "Don't go to work. Stay mommy. Stay. " Once again, the tugging. At my pant leg, my paycheck and my heart.
![Mason Nadolney got his second COVID-19 vaccine shot during a mobile vaccine event at Chanhassen High School in July.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/J7LEBWHZ57AFGZSTIR2WYOQJ3A.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
What to know about the latest COVID variants, Minnesota testing, vaccines
Sign up for Star Tribune newsletters
![Nearly a dozen collected Bachman's warblers lie in a specimen tray.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/3KDGPJTGN5CRNG5PO5S5T35XUE.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
126 birds on list 'lost to science'
![Champlin Park volleyball player Carly Gilk posed for a photo by her mom, Shelley, when they arrived for the AMSA celebration at Target Field.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/QPHJLQJMYJDLFMFTYKDONXWDQY.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)