We just got back from Chicago yesterday. I was surprised by the amount of time it took us. For some reason I was thinking it should have taken the better part of the work day. But in fact, it took us just a bit more than 5.5 hours. This was pretty close to the times I found on Google Map and Mapquest. However, neither of these allowed for lunch, potty breaks or exchanging movies at the Redbox.
Which gets me to random thought number one: If Redbox advertises for being able to drop off or pick up a movie in any city,why don't they have locations at places just off major highways? For those of you who don't know--and I found out this weekend that many don't know what a Redbox is--it is a tall red box located in grocery stores, McDonald's and other places. Inside of the redbox are DVDs you can rent with your cc for $1 plus tax. The movie is due back by 9pm the next day. If you decide to keep it an extra day, you pay an extra dollar. After you return the movie, your cc gets charged. Watch out Blockbuster. THis is a great concept.
We rented movies from a Redbox before we left Crystal City. I was thinking we should have no problem finding one to exchange for different movies along the way and again once we were in Chicago. The reason for my thinking is because the boxes are mostly in McD--who even gave away free rentals with a large drink purchase months ago. Why would I have a hard time?
Joe found us a place to return the movies on our way out of town, but by then Emma had decided to watch one again. No sense in returning it, just to pay another dollar to get it out again. I have the thing until 9pm anyway. When we stopped for lunch about 1.5 hours out of Chicago, I thought for sure we would find a Redbox in that McD. Nope. A very nice lady told me about a location in Pontiac, Ill. We had to drive 2 miles into town and then locate the local market. Whew, more trouble than it should have been.
So, this got me to thinking. For the traveling family Google Map/Mapquest should add the Redbox to their services. If we could have mapped out the locations ahead of time, we would have also had nice places to eat and exchange movies. This is way more fun for the kids than bringing movies from home.
My next random thought is this. Follow along with me. We used the public restroom a LOT while we were on our short vacation. The fancier ones had automatic soap dispensers, water faucets AND towel dispensers or blow dryers. Isn't the purpose of all of this to prevent the spread of disease? Then why do they make me pull the handle on the way out of the RR? Shouldn't it push out so that I can use my clean rearend to exit? You know not everyone washes when they leave those places? The concept would be nice: if everyone washed then you could use the handle without worry about what is on there. But they don't.
Which leads me to this: If there is a line to the ladies room that is 3 dozen people long, and a door desginated for exiting, why would you go out of the IN door?
We did have a nice time. Emma, Kerri L. and I got to Joe's place around dinner time. Thank you Joe for the best pizza/salad dinner. All four of us played games for a while. I like playing against Joe for the fun of trying. Because I know that I will just about always lose. So I opted not to ask to play Scrabble for that reason. Emma picks out a game instead called "My Word". This was worse than Scrabble. Everyone looks at the same cards laid on the table. You have to be quick with your brain and eyes to make words of the cards. (Each card has a letter or two on them.) Joe is quick. Kerri was too. Not a fun game to play while sipping on wine.
Sunday we took an excursion to Sears Tower. It is a fantastic view, with a lot of history to learn. Unfortunately, I was with a 6 year old who did not care to read everything that was on the wall. We looked out from each side of the tower, and played a few rounds of "I Spy"with the city. From there we went to Navy Pier. Emma wanted to return to the Children's Museum. Great. Kerri and I got in for free for being teachers--wish we would have thought to ask that question at SEars Tower. Found out the only reason she wanted to go there was to get her face painted. Too bad they were not doing that this time. Bummer. Ben and Jerry's made up for that.
Time to retire for the day. We got back in time for us to take a quiet time. Ok, that was for us grownups. Emma began what we found out was a 3 hour marathon of "iCarly". What a dumb show. Off to bed.
We really had a great time. We owe all of it to Uncle Joe. Thank you for treating us to dinner, and all of the modes of transportation while visiting. Emma had a great time. James knows what he missed and is working on being able to go next time.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Follow Through...
MAN!! Being a parent is hard work. Satisfiying, but hard. (Maybe more of the satisfying part comes later when they are grownups.)
As an educator for more than a decade (gee, it has almost been 1.5 decades), I know how important it is for you to follow through with your words. If you threaten to make a kid lose his break, then you have to be willing to lose yours too. If you are going to make the kid stay after school then you have to be able to also stay, even if it interfers with something more fun. I know that this is also important in parenting. DAMN.
Sometimes it is also easier to know it than it is to do it. Some threats are fun for me. You know, "...or you'll have to go to bed early," or "...you won't get to go to swim lessons," and my favorite, "...then I will get to eat your dessert." ----What?! You don't like to have two desserts?
But what I am realizing is that my mouth is quicker than my thoughts. Although, I can rationalize my way back to convincing myself that the right decision was reached. Here is the deal: James is going through this control phase--gee, can't imagine who he got that from--where he won't eat dinner, but then wants for something later. And my least favorite is that he will not go to bed. (We have eliminated the nap for the most part, so, we know he is tired. Eh, and we can tell he needs his sleep, but gets enough without the nap.)
The boy will get up anywhere from 3 - 9 times a night. The boy stays up later than I want to some nights. Odd thing is, he is wonderful at daycare and during the day. It is like a switch is flipped once dinner is served. Nothing but Bad News Bears. In frustration the other night, I told him that if he kept this up that I would not be taking him to Chicago with me Saturday. He REALLY wants to go but REALLY will not behave, still. Cry, cry, cry, but no change.
This will be the ultimate in follow throughs. Meghan is going to come over this weekend. Spend some time with Dad, and James. She will babysit James Monday while Kevin is working and Emma and I are in Chicago. He will have to learn that he does not rule the roost. Mom and Dad do.
Kevin and I talked about this at great lengths last night. Neither of us thinks that he deserves to go. Maybe "deserves" is a strong word. The reality is that, if he is willing to act like this with the comfort of routine at our house, how will he act with looser reigns at someone elses house? I don't want to find out. And ultimately, Kevin does not want to hear about it when we come. I know that Kevin was looking forward to having the house to himself for 3 days, but...this is part of fatherhood. Besides, now he gets to spend a bit more "quality" time with Meghan. They both deserve that. (huh.)
So...the plan is to go to either the Aquarium or the Children's Museum on Sunday. I suppose that we could ask Emma for her input. I know Joe does not care. Kerri and I would rather do something very cheap (museum), but without James I will have a couple of extra bucks to spend. (I write this with a bit of saddness.) We will head home on Monday. Originally, we were not in a hurry to come home, but now I need to be back so that Kevin can take Meghan home at a decent time. I am not sure if we will get to do any sight seeing Monday or not. Either case, I will send out pictures when we get back.
CHANGE SUBJECT:
I got the official acceptance letter from my insurance today. Of course it did not give dollar amounts or percentages. I called them. The surgery is 100% covered. Hospital fees. Doctor fees. Hospitalization. Lab work. Everything. The only thing I pay for is the office visits. And of course I will be paying for new bras soon. But if you are looking into giving me an early birthday present, a gift card to Victoria's or hell, even Wal-Mart would be fun.
I go in for a labwork and another OV on Tuesday. The nurse said that Doc will probably be taking a bit more than 4 pounds. That will put me under my WW goal weight. HAha. She also mentioned something about a size....oh, you thought I would tell the world? Not yet. Ask me later, I will probably tell you. Hell, if we are close enough, I may even show you?????????? Right.
Speaking of. I was told to take before and after pictures by a friend who lives out of state. Thinking about it. But boobs....on Shutterfly? I might have a better idea. Wallets? I crack myself up. I would bet this is funnier in my head than it is in written word. Oh well. Keep the laughs coming, I say. If I won't crack myself up, who will?
As an educator for more than a decade (gee, it has almost been 1.5 decades), I know how important it is for you to follow through with your words. If you threaten to make a kid lose his break, then you have to be willing to lose yours too. If you are going to make the kid stay after school then you have to be able to also stay, even if it interfers with something more fun. I know that this is also important in parenting. DAMN.
Sometimes it is also easier to know it than it is to do it. Some threats are fun for me. You know, "...or you'll have to go to bed early," or "...you won't get to go to swim lessons," and my favorite, "...then I will get to eat your dessert." ----What?! You don't like to have two desserts?
But what I am realizing is that my mouth is quicker than my thoughts. Although, I can rationalize my way back to convincing myself that the right decision was reached. Here is the deal: James is going through this control phase--gee, can't imagine who he got that from--where he won't eat dinner, but then wants for something later. And my least favorite is that he will not go to bed. (We have eliminated the nap for the most part, so, we know he is tired. Eh, and we can tell he needs his sleep, but gets enough without the nap.)
The boy will get up anywhere from 3 - 9 times a night. The boy stays up later than I want to some nights. Odd thing is, he is wonderful at daycare and during the day. It is like a switch is flipped once dinner is served. Nothing but Bad News Bears. In frustration the other night, I told him that if he kept this up that I would not be taking him to Chicago with me Saturday. He REALLY wants to go but REALLY will not behave, still. Cry, cry, cry, but no change.
This will be the ultimate in follow throughs. Meghan is going to come over this weekend. Spend some time with Dad, and James. She will babysit James Monday while Kevin is working and Emma and I are in Chicago. He will have to learn that he does not rule the roost. Mom and Dad do.
Kevin and I talked about this at great lengths last night. Neither of us thinks that he deserves to go. Maybe "deserves" is a strong word. The reality is that, if he is willing to act like this with the comfort of routine at our house, how will he act with looser reigns at someone elses house? I don't want to find out. And ultimately, Kevin does not want to hear about it when we come. I know that Kevin was looking forward to having the house to himself for 3 days, but...this is part of fatherhood. Besides, now he gets to spend a bit more "quality" time with Meghan. They both deserve that. (huh.)
So...the plan is to go to either the Aquarium or the Children's Museum on Sunday. I suppose that we could ask Emma for her input. I know Joe does not care. Kerri and I would rather do something very cheap (museum), but without James I will have a couple of extra bucks to spend. (I write this with a bit of saddness.) We will head home on Monday. Originally, we were not in a hurry to come home, but now I need to be back so that Kevin can take Meghan home at a decent time. I am not sure if we will get to do any sight seeing Monday or not. Either case, I will send out pictures when we get back.
CHANGE SUBJECT:
I got the official acceptance letter from my insurance today. Of course it did not give dollar amounts or percentages. I called them. The surgery is 100% covered. Hospital fees. Doctor fees. Hospitalization. Lab work. Everything. The only thing I pay for is the office visits. And of course I will be paying for new bras soon. But if you are looking into giving me an early birthday present, a gift card to Victoria's or hell, even Wal-Mart would be fun.
I go in for a labwork and another OV on Tuesday. The nurse said that Doc will probably be taking a bit more than 4 pounds. That will put me under my WW goal weight. HAha. She also mentioned something about a size....oh, you thought I would tell the world? Not yet. Ask me later, I will probably tell you. Hell, if we are close enough, I may even show you?????????? Right.
Speaking of. I was told to take before and after pictures by a friend who lives out of state. Thinking about it. But boobs....on Shutterfly? I might have a better idea. Wallets? I crack myself up. I would bet this is funnier in my head than it is in written word. Oh well. Keep the laughs coming, I say. If I won't crack myself up, who will?
Friday, July 4, 2008
Busy, busy and busier
So much is going on...sometimes I feel like I can hardly keep my head above water. Kevin took a job as a janitor for the Mehlville School District. He LOVEs it. I think this is the first time in his life that he has a job that he enjoys going to every day. I am so happy for him. It is really cute to hear the stories every night. This has been good for us. The kids get more time with Daddy since he is off on the weekends now. And I have a happy husband. :)
Unfortunately, this means a cut in pay. Not to mentions the drive. Thank goodness for those who are willing to carpool. It also means that I must decrease my income in order to supply the children with health insurance. MAAANN is that stuff expensive. Sorry to say that Christmas will be tight again this year.
It has been like work trying to find ways to scrimp and save. I helped Kevin clean our church today. The kids stayed in a playroom while we worked. This means double the pay, in a sense. I am working every weekend, for now, at WW. Of course our extra-curriculars have come to a screeching halt. All of this is temporary, hopefully. I feel that if we can get through the next school year we will be doing alright. By then my van will be paid off. James' daycare will be eliminated. Hopefully, we will both be getting raises. And if I have to take on tutoring in the evening after the kids go to bed, I will.
This sounds really crazy and could really consume a lot of my time, but....I got a great thrill at grocery shopping today. I went to SaveALot first. Then to WalMart. OMG! The savings was incredible. Who knew? You did, I know. I save almost $2 on Ranch dressing. Humph. And half the cost of fruit, which by the way was not all that bad. I went on and on with Kevin when I got home about all that I had saved. Nerdy to get that thrilled about saving a couple of bucks. ah well, that is me.
I have taken on a sponsor from my Sunday night group. I love it. It helps me too, which is always fun.
Summer school for me is over at the end of this week. WHew. The day after, the kids and I will travel with my friend Kerri L. to Chicago to visit Joe for 3 days. They are getting real excited. James "accidently" got his hair cut like Joe's and is pumped to show him. After crying for a long time, James now claims that he wants his hair cut like this "all of the days."
And the most exciting news, I am approved for my breast reduction surgery. The nurse will be calling me Monday with a definate day. She offered July 9, but that would mess up SS and Chicago visit. I asked about the following week. Hopefully, that is what I will get. ]
We will be calling asking for help with the kids for right after that.
Going to watch the neighborhood fireworks.
Unfortunately, this means a cut in pay. Not to mentions the drive. Thank goodness for those who are willing to carpool. It also means that I must decrease my income in order to supply the children with health insurance. MAAANN is that stuff expensive. Sorry to say that Christmas will be tight again this year.
It has been like work trying to find ways to scrimp and save. I helped Kevin clean our church today. The kids stayed in a playroom while we worked. This means double the pay, in a sense. I am working every weekend, for now, at WW. Of course our extra-curriculars have come to a screeching halt. All of this is temporary, hopefully. I feel that if we can get through the next school year we will be doing alright. By then my van will be paid off. James' daycare will be eliminated. Hopefully, we will both be getting raises. And if I have to take on tutoring in the evening after the kids go to bed, I will.
This sounds really crazy and could really consume a lot of my time, but....I got a great thrill at grocery shopping today. I went to SaveALot first. Then to WalMart. OMG! The savings was incredible. Who knew? You did, I know. I save almost $2 on Ranch dressing. Humph. And half the cost of fruit, which by the way was not all that bad. I went on and on with Kevin when I got home about all that I had saved. Nerdy to get that thrilled about saving a couple of bucks. ah well, that is me.
I have taken on a sponsor from my Sunday night group. I love it. It helps me too, which is always fun.
Summer school for me is over at the end of this week. WHew. The day after, the kids and I will travel with my friend Kerri L. to Chicago to visit Joe for 3 days. They are getting real excited. James "accidently" got his hair cut like Joe's and is pumped to show him. After crying for a long time, James now claims that he wants his hair cut like this "all of the days."
And the most exciting news, I am approved for my breast reduction surgery. The nurse will be calling me Monday with a definate day. She offered July 9, but that would mess up SS and Chicago visit. I asked about the following week. Hopefully, that is what I will get. ]
We will be calling asking for help with the kids for right after that.
Going to watch the neighborhood fireworks.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The school year is wrapping up. I will be teaching summer school this year. *Thank you, Dr. G. for giving me that opportunity* There is an emptiness that comes with not being with my students. They are special people. Some of them have no one at home that truely cares about them, or at least this is the way they feel when they get to me. I will miss them this summer. Many of them will go on to summer school, while other must serve the rest of their suspension at home. Some have learned many lessons, others a few, and for a couple, they have taken nothing from this experience. That saddens me. I wish them all well.
The summer will go by fast. Friday is the last day for my afternoon group. Monday is the last day for the morning group. The week of June 2, I have a teacher work day to close out school and one to open up summer school. I am not sure what to do with the other two days that I have off. I do have a hair appointment on one day and a doctor's visit on another. Summer school will last until July 11. I have two weeks off before I volunteer at Girls Scout Daycamp for a week. The first week in August will be spent interviewing parents and students of the new semester.
We hope to take the kids to Six Flags once. Emma earned her free pass from reading 6 hours this winter. The rest of us get discounted prices. As long as the kids can stay with a grown-up, it should be fun. I have not been there since I was in high school. (20 year reunion next year--what does that tell you?--Joe is getting old.) hee hee hee
Emma begins 1st grade summer school in two days. That blows me away. Still. Proud of her.
James got a lesson in truth telling tonight. Caught in lie number one. Go to your room. Busted for number two. Wash your mouth out with soap. Let me tell you, I never had that done to me when I was a kid. He HATED that. I bet it tasted aweful. But, you know what? If he REMEMBERS the taste he won't be doing that again.
He is doing very well with keeping his thumb out of his mouth. Gummie Bears work great for motivation. Keep it dry. Get a bear. Love you, Bubba.
The summer will go by fast. Friday is the last day for my afternoon group. Monday is the last day for the morning group. The week of June 2, I have a teacher work day to close out school and one to open up summer school. I am not sure what to do with the other two days that I have off. I do have a hair appointment on one day and a doctor's visit on another. Summer school will last until July 11. I have two weeks off before I volunteer at Girls Scout Daycamp for a week. The first week in August will be spent interviewing parents and students of the new semester.
We hope to take the kids to Six Flags once. Emma earned her free pass from reading 6 hours this winter. The rest of us get discounted prices. As long as the kids can stay with a grown-up, it should be fun. I have not been there since I was in high school. (20 year reunion next year--what does that tell you?--Joe is getting old.) hee hee hee
Emma begins 1st grade summer school in two days. That blows me away. Still. Proud of her.
James got a lesson in truth telling tonight. Caught in lie number one. Go to your room. Busted for number two. Wash your mouth out with soap. Let me tell you, I never had that done to me when I was a kid. He HATED that. I bet it tasted aweful. But, you know what? If he REMEMBERS the taste he won't be doing that again.
He is doing very well with keeping his thumb out of his mouth. Gummie Bears work great for motivation. Keep it dry. Get a bear. Love you, Bubba.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Family Update
James turned 4 years old today. Hard to believe. I mean it is not like this is a suprise, we have been talking about it for a year now. It did not sneak up on us or anything. There are many milestones that come with your youngest child turning 4. For us, it is limiting the thumb-sucking to laying down in bed or on the cot at school. (Of course, I realize, I cannot control what goes on at daycare, but they are usually pretty good with follow-through. Don't get me wrong,, this will be easier for us than for them.)
Giving up the thumb is BIG in his world. The milestone for me, though, means that in barely over one year from now, James will be going to Kingergarten summer school. Holy Crap. Where has the time gone? And that only means one thing--Emma will be entering Second Grade summer school. SECOND GRADE??!! She was just born.
The little smart-### found his birthday present. Daddy was supposed to have it wrapped before we came home. Life happens, and it did not get done. Well, as it was still sitting "hidden" in the garage, James found it. I am pretty sure that he knows what it is, but he was not 100% convinced. His reaction opening it tomorrow at his birthday party will be fun to listen to.
Emma had her Kingergarten graduation today. OMG. She got her little diploma. I know that this is a big deal, or is it? Who decided to hipe this up back in the day? I guess at one point it was a big deal to adjust to 1/2 day Kingergarten to full day 1st grade, but nowadays don't most kids go full day in this grade? Anyway, we got her report card. Pluses all the way down. (Nope, not bragging at all.) This is an improvement in many ways. She is now keeping her mouth closed at appropriate times, and has improved in her reading and writing skills. What I am most impressed with is the checkmark next to "exceeds grade level expectations". We are so proud.
Kevin is still doing well. We went with his mom to a celebratory one year anniversary of his sobriety meeting together. I am very proud of him. He is doing a great job. We continue to thank God daily for his sobriety, and pray that it continues.
And the laughs continue....I/we just bought Kevin a car from my brother. Paid lots of money. Kevin wants a birthday present. Humph. Doesn't he drive it everyday? hahaha.
Work is still going great. I helped put together a new handbook for my program. I also revamped the discipline policy. I am excited to have things in writing and to watch the implementation unfold next school year. If you don't already know this, I am proud to tell anyone who will listen that I have the BEST job in the world. I will do this until I retire.
I have spoken minimally about this, but I am a bit excited to keep it in. I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon in two weeks. I am fairly confident that I am going to get the surgery that I have been wanting for YEARS. If I get my way, it will happen on Dec. 19 so that I have my entire winter break to recover. This will give me the time off that recovery demands and I won't have to go back to work and move/lift heavy things as I would if the surgery happened over the summer. I will be recruiting people to come help take care of the kids(me), so watch out.
Any of you who read this and know me well, know that I started this approaching my bedtime. And since I have to get up and work a WW meeting in the morning, I must close.
God bless.
Giving up the thumb is BIG in his world. The milestone for me, though, means that in barely over one year from now, James will be going to Kingergarten summer school. Holy Crap. Where has the time gone? And that only means one thing--Emma will be entering Second Grade summer school. SECOND GRADE??!! She was just born.
The little smart-### found his birthday present. Daddy was supposed to have it wrapped before we came home. Life happens, and it did not get done. Well, as it was still sitting "hidden" in the garage, James found it. I am pretty sure that he knows what it is, but he was not 100% convinced. His reaction opening it tomorrow at his birthday party will be fun to listen to.
Emma had her Kingergarten graduation today. OMG. She got her little diploma. I know that this is a big deal, or is it? Who decided to hipe this up back in the day? I guess at one point it was a big deal to adjust to 1/2 day Kingergarten to full day 1st grade, but nowadays don't most kids go full day in this grade? Anyway, we got her report card. Pluses all the way down. (Nope, not bragging at all.) This is an improvement in many ways. She is now keeping her mouth closed at appropriate times, and has improved in her reading and writing skills. What I am most impressed with is the checkmark next to "exceeds grade level expectations". We are so proud.
Kevin is still doing well. We went with his mom to a celebratory one year anniversary of his sobriety meeting together. I am very proud of him. He is doing a great job. We continue to thank God daily for his sobriety, and pray that it continues.
And the laughs continue....I/we just bought Kevin a car from my brother. Paid lots of money. Kevin wants a birthday present. Humph. Doesn't he drive it everyday? hahaha.
Work is still going great. I helped put together a new handbook for my program. I also revamped the discipline policy. I am excited to have things in writing and to watch the implementation unfold next school year. If you don't already know this, I am proud to tell anyone who will listen that I have the BEST job in the world. I will do this until I retire.
I have spoken minimally about this, but I am a bit excited to keep it in. I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon in two weeks. I am fairly confident that I am going to get the surgery that I have been wanting for YEARS. If I get my way, it will happen on Dec. 19 so that I have my entire winter break to recover. This will give me the time off that recovery demands and I won't have to go back to work and move/lift heavy things as I would if the surgery happened over the summer. I will be recruiting people to come help take care of the kids(me), so watch out.
Any of you who read this and know me well, know that I started this approaching my bedtime. And since I have to get up and work a WW meeting in the morning, I must close.
God bless.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Can Santa Fix the Gas Prices?
I just got a phone call from Katie, my sister. Brian is coming home from the hospital today. (Most of you may know that he had heart issues and was in ICU after an open-heart operation.) It was nice to get a personal call, despite how busy she is with everything that is going on. Thank any and all of you who have said prayers for them. God Bless.
I have been in a state of denial/depression all week. It was discovered Monday that I lost my digital camera. At first, I was in this place of "oh, it will show up." Which slowly moved to, "I think a janitor or someone wandering around school must have picked it up." Now, I really don't think it is coming back. The ironic part is, I am not upset about the few picutres I lost of my kids. I am more mad at myself for losing the start of our "yearbook" for the kids in my class. In the scheme of things, this is really NBD. I just...the rest does not matter.
James' behavior has been improving a ton lately. I think he is crossing a maturity line. Twice this week some kid at school DID something to James, and he did not retaliate. Today, some boy peed on James. Boys will be boys. Apparently, they were both standing on the stool to reach the urinal at the same time. The boy just turned at the wrong time and squirted James across his shorts. I was actually a bit surprised to hear that Bubba did not aim right back at him.
We had James complete the P.A.T. screening yesterday. Despite my thinking the boy could be a bit ADD, he passed the Dial-3 with average to above average scores. The educator giving the test said she did not think he would be ADD. Let's hope not, but he also took the test one-on-one without any distractions. The boy is smarter than most people know. He scored as a 6 year old on a couple sections. He failed the hearing test in his left ear. We will have that checked out tomorrow.
Not to leave Emma out: She has had great behavior days at school since the day I shadowed her at school. Ten days without having to turn her card. We took her to get her ears pierced tonight. These were actually a gift from the Easter Bunny. I thought we would have to brace ourselves for the crying that would ensue. She did better than me. Not a tear. Her biggest worry is when am I supposed to turn the earrings? How many times a day?
Emma told me in bed the other night after prayers that, "Santa does not exist." Ouch. How does that happen? And why is she telling me this NOW? Four months later she is telling me about how some punk kid at daycare is telling people this story. How rude. She asked me what I thought. Of course, I told her that I believed in Santa. Who else had the power to do all of that work? She answers, "God." Duh, mom. How do you resond to that? She remembers Uncle Paul with the getup on last Christmas. He pulled at the beard enough for my observant little girl to see that there was another beard underneath. oops. oh well. "Well, Emma, you see. These are Santa's helpers. Santa can't leave the North Pole to go to everyone's Christmas parties and to the mall to listen to what the kids want. Santa made them all Santa costumes to wear in order to help out Santa.....it is only a matter of time....my little girl will no longer be a little girl.
Do your kids play on those playgrounds with equipment buried in the miniature rocks? So small they get caught in your shoes like sand pebbles? Everyday, James comes home from school and takes off his shoes. I hear ting, ting, ting. Little tiny rocks all over the floor. Everyday I sweep them up and throw them in the trash. Then one day out of a joke, really, we started counting how many he would bring home in one day. The highest we go to was 64. Sometimes we still count the rocks. Now we are keeping them in a glass jar. At the end of the summer, we will either make ourselves a pit of some kind or give them back to the daycare in exchange for partial payment. (hee hee hee) How much do you think they pay to have that rock put back there? Right now the circumference of our jar is full; not much volume to it yet though.
Here is a question for anyone who can help me:
Last year and the year prior, I received emails from people saying that we should boycott all gas stations for one day to really sock it to them. This year, the email says that in order to put the hurt on the gas companies, we should boycott Mobile and Exxon. With these being the two major gas companies, wouldn't that be hard to do? Where does QT buy from? How about Phillips 66 and Seven-Eleven? And who has researched this? If everyone were to really take part in this, would that really lower gas prices?
I was telling my students not too long ago how when we were kids, we would station hop to find gas that was under .90/gallon....I know some of you have better stories than that. What is happening in America when my tax credit (thank you for that boost) has to go to pay for me to get to work or to feed my kids? No wonder the obesity problem is rising. Junk food is cheaper than healthy.
Healthy eating. Happy May.
I have been in a state of denial/depression all week. It was discovered Monday that I lost my digital camera. At first, I was in this place of "oh, it will show up." Which slowly moved to, "I think a janitor or someone wandering around school must have picked it up." Now, I really don't think it is coming back. The ironic part is, I am not upset about the few picutres I lost of my kids. I am more mad at myself for losing the start of our "yearbook" for the kids in my class. In the scheme of things, this is really NBD. I just...the rest does not matter.
James' behavior has been improving a ton lately. I think he is crossing a maturity line. Twice this week some kid at school DID something to James, and he did not retaliate. Today, some boy peed on James. Boys will be boys. Apparently, they were both standing on the stool to reach the urinal at the same time. The boy just turned at the wrong time and squirted James across his shorts. I was actually a bit surprised to hear that Bubba did not aim right back at him.
We had James complete the P.A.T. screening yesterday. Despite my thinking the boy could be a bit ADD, he passed the Dial-3 with average to above average scores. The educator giving the test said she did not think he would be ADD. Let's hope not, but he also took the test one-on-one without any distractions. The boy is smarter than most people know. He scored as a 6 year old on a couple sections. He failed the hearing test in his left ear. We will have that checked out tomorrow.
Not to leave Emma out: She has had great behavior days at school since the day I shadowed her at school. Ten days without having to turn her card. We took her to get her ears pierced tonight. These were actually a gift from the Easter Bunny. I thought we would have to brace ourselves for the crying that would ensue. She did better than me. Not a tear. Her biggest worry is when am I supposed to turn the earrings? How many times a day?
Emma told me in bed the other night after prayers that, "Santa does not exist." Ouch. How does that happen? And why is she telling me this NOW? Four months later she is telling me about how some punk kid at daycare is telling people this story. How rude. She asked me what I thought. Of course, I told her that I believed in Santa. Who else had the power to do all of that work? She answers, "God." Duh, mom. How do you resond to that? She remembers Uncle Paul with the getup on last Christmas. He pulled at the beard enough for my observant little girl to see that there was another beard underneath. oops. oh well. "Well, Emma, you see. These are Santa's helpers. Santa can't leave the North Pole to go to everyone's Christmas parties and to the mall to listen to what the kids want. Santa made them all Santa costumes to wear in order to help out Santa.....it is only a matter of time....my little girl will no longer be a little girl.
Do your kids play on those playgrounds with equipment buried in the miniature rocks? So small they get caught in your shoes like sand pebbles? Everyday, James comes home from school and takes off his shoes. I hear ting, ting, ting. Little tiny rocks all over the floor. Everyday I sweep them up and throw them in the trash. Then one day out of a joke, really, we started counting how many he would bring home in one day. The highest we go to was 64. Sometimes we still count the rocks. Now we are keeping them in a glass jar. At the end of the summer, we will either make ourselves a pit of some kind or give them back to the daycare in exchange for partial payment. (hee hee hee) How much do you think they pay to have that rock put back there? Right now the circumference of our jar is full; not much volume to it yet though.
Here is a question for anyone who can help me:
Last year and the year prior, I received emails from people saying that we should boycott all gas stations for one day to really sock it to them. This year, the email says that in order to put the hurt on the gas companies, we should boycott Mobile and Exxon. With these being the two major gas companies, wouldn't that be hard to do? Where does QT buy from? How about Phillips 66 and Seven-Eleven? And who has researched this? If everyone were to really take part in this, would that really lower gas prices?
I was telling my students not too long ago how when we were kids, we would station hop to find gas that was under .90/gallon....I know some of you have better stories than that. What is happening in America when my tax credit (thank you for that boost) has to go to pay for me to get to work or to feed my kids? No wonder the obesity problem is rising. Junk food is cheaper than healthy.
Healthy eating. Happy May.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Starting to Settle Down
Since about the time of my last post I started working out at Curves. I enjoy the time being in my own little world with nothing to think about except the sweat on my brow and whether or not I will attain my ideal accelerated heart rate. My point was supposed to be that I have been so tired with that plus my already busy schedule that I can hardly stay up late enough to post anything....not that I was doing a great job of keeping up on it before.
I am not sure how/when to get past the weight issue that I have. I continue to stay just above my Weight Watchers goal. This has been going on for over a year now. Even with the added exercise, I just can't seem to shed the pounds. I realize that I am not fat. I just want to be comfortable in my own clothes again. At one point, I was 10-15 pounds lighter than I am today. My freind, Kerri, who is also a member of Curves tells me to stick with it. She went from...doesn't matter...she is down 4 pant sizes. She also says that it took her 3 months for the pounds to come off, and that she shed inches first. That has been true for me also. I lost 4.25 inches and decreased my BMI by 3%. I wish I could feel it in my waist.
The crazy part is when I got measured this month. The very kind weigh-in lady had me step on the scale. No big surprise. Only down one pound. Although, I did express my discontent. She tried to make me feel better throughtout the weigh-in. After she measured my bust which is about the only part of me that did NOT lose inches, she says, "oh, good news your bust is the same." When she looked up at my "frown", she asked, "you want that to go down too?" I just wanted to say to her, "HEY LADY! when a woman has a breast reduction, she never wants to be LARGER than her pre-surgery size!!!" Then she tried to reassure me that, if given time, this too would decrease. I just kept thinking about having the surgery again. Before I am 40.
I have been praying lately that God would give me some income for the summer. I need to replace the money I stole from James' daycare account that I used to buy my brothers car for Kevin. When I got to work yesterday there was a message flashing on my vm button. The recording lady had me scared with the time of 4:33pm as the only message. The 8th grade principal is the one who will be running summer school at NWV this year. She has been really great to me.
Anyway, Dr. G. left this message saying that I should call her back if I want to teach this summer. I, of course, called her back that instant. Still don't know WHAT I am teaching or to whom. But here is the fabulous news....
With only 105 students enrolled for the summer, this would only allow for 1, maybe 1.5, teams of teachers for grades 6-9. Seeing that I don't teach a core subject on a regular basis, and I have not been at the Valley for as long as many of the others who applied, I was shocked that she wanted to hire ME. What a compliment!!!!!!!!!!
I am scared to ask anyone else if they have a summer school position. Even though I did not make the decision, I just don't want them to be mad at me. I really enjoy the people I work with for a change. (No offense, Kerri.) I am very curious as to why she did chose me, and with whom I will be working. Maybe it will come up tomorrow at the party.
Karen is coming over to give a Passions Party. Many of my co-workers will be there. This is my second annual. Anyone who could not make it this year, is more than welcome to come next April, if my sister-in-law continues to have me.
Emma and James start swimming lessons tomorrow. James will be on a t-ball team starting in June. (I guess I did not take that into consideration when I started planning a trip to Chicago or Texas. Rethink.) James is sooo pumped. He askes everyday, "when can I play baseball?" The other daily question from him is, "when is Halloweeng?" Not altogether sure what the 'g' is all about, but it sure is cute.
Emma has been "in trouble" at school for talking at inappropriate times a lot this month. She is my social butterfly. This is what becomes of those she'll-go-to-anyone babies. They go and talk to anyone who will listen, even....Her latest question is, "how old will I be when I can read as fast as you?" I am not sure why that is important, but it is, at least today.
Kevin is still sober. He as an important anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks. Sobriety has been incredible for our family, life, marriage,....
With my Wednesday night WW meeting probably not renewing, and the Girl Scout Leader retirement things are starting to settle down around here a bit. AAAAAHH.
Goodnight.
I am not sure how/when to get past the weight issue that I have. I continue to stay just above my Weight Watchers goal. This has been going on for over a year now. Even with the added exercise, I just can't seem to shed the pounds. I realize that I am not fat. I just want to be comfortable in my own clothes again. At one point, I was 10-15 pounds lighter than I am today. My freind, Kerri, who is also a member of Curves tells me to stick with it. She went from...doesn't matter...she is down 4 pant sizes. She also says that it took her 3 months for the pounds to come off, and that she shed inches first. That has been true for me also. I lost 4.25 inches and decreased my BMI by 3%. I wish I could feel it in my waist.
The crazy part is when I got measured this month. The very kind weigh-in lady had me step on the scale. No big surprise. Only down one pound. Although, I did express my discontent. She tried to make me feel better throughtout the weigh-in. After she measured my bust which is about the only part of me that did NOT lose inches, she says, "oh, good news your bust is the same." When she looked up at my "frown", she asked, "you want that to go down too?" I just wanted to say to her, "HEY LADY! when a woman has a breast reduction, she never wants to be LARGER than her pre-surgery size!!!" Then she tried to reassure me that, if given time, this too would decrease. I just kept thinking about having the surgery again. Before I am 40.
I have been praying lately that God would give me some income for the summer. I need to replace the money I stole from James' daycare account that I used to buy my brothers car for Kevin. When I got to work yesterday there was a message flashing on my vm button. The recording lady had me scared with the time of 4:33pm as the only message. The 8th grade principal is the one who will be running summer school at NWV this year. She has been really great to me.
Anyway, Dr. G. left this message saying that I should call her back if I want to teach this summer. I, of course, called her back that instant. Still don't know WHAT I am teaching or to whom. But here is the fabulous news....
With only 105 students enrolled for the summer, this would only allow for 1, maybe 1.5, teams of teachers for grades 6-9. Seeing that I don't teach a core subject on a regular basis, and I have not been at the Valley for as long as many of the others who applied, I was shocked that she wanted to hire ME. What a compliment!!!!!!!!!!
I am scared to ask anyone else if they have a summer school position. Even though I did not make the decision, I just don't want them to be mad at me. I really enjoy the people I work with for a change. (No offense, Kerri.) I am very curious as to why she did chose me, and with whom I will be working. Maybe it will come up tomorrow at the party.
Karen is coming over to give a Passions Party. Many of my co-workers will be there. This is my second annual. Anyone who could not make it this year, is more than welcome to come next April, if my sister-in-law continues to have me.
Emma and James start swimming lessons tomorrow. James will be on a t-ball team starting in June. (I guess I did not take that into consideration when I started planning a trip to Chicago or Texas. Rethink.) James is sooo pumped. He askes everyday, "when can I play baseball?" The other daily question from him is, "when is Halloweeng?" Not altogether sure what the 'g' is all about, but it sure is cute.
Emma has been "in trouble" at school for talking at inappropriate times a lot this month. She is my social butterfly. This is what becomes of those she'll-go-to-anyone babies. They go and talk to anyone who will listen, even....Her latest question is, "how old will I be when I can read as fast as you?" I am not sure why that is important, but it is, at least today.
Kevin is still sober. He as an important anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks. Sobriety has been incredible for our family, life, marriage,....
With my Wednesday night WW meeting probably not renewing, and the Girl Scout Leader retirement things are starting to settle down around here a bit. AAAAAHH.
Goodnight.
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