We have been so crazy busy since my last blog that I just can't seem to get on the computer to write about it. Of course, I was also sick for a while in there too which doesn't get me in the mood to blog much either.
Some nights we are literally running in circles around this town keeping up with the kids. There was a Friday (3/5) that Stephen was doing a youth group activity so he had to be dropped off at the church around 5:30. Then Rachel was going to a dance at her school so she had to be dropped off at 7 at the other end of town. That left Joshua stuck with Mom and Dad and not much planned. We decided we should blow off some steam so we went to an indoor activity center that has bumper cars, go karts, and lots of video games. We had a blast there until it was time to pick Stephen up at the church at 9 and then back to Rachel's school by 9:30 when the dance ended. Between the church and Rachel's school is probably about 15 miles so you see that it was quite the run around but everyone had a good time so it was worth it for sure.
I was down for a while with a sinus infection. Even after I finished the antibiotic I was struggling with a sore throat. Dr assures me it is just my allergies. Welcome to spring!
We have had quite a bit of spring weather already. The funniest thing is that we had temps in the 60s most of the week before spring started and then on last Saturday when it officially started we awoke to more snow on the ground. It then spent most of the day snowing on Saturday.
This is midterm week so it is keeping the kids, especially Rachel and Stephen, busy. Lots of tests, quizzes, and projects due. Rachel has had an especially heavy load of projects and papers in the last couple of weeks. She is actually in the process of a paper for her Honors Biology class, and she is defending her stand on the origin of life. It is really a huge undertaking! All the kids are looking forward to Spring Break that will be starting here next week. Rachel actually gets an extra day that the boys don't. She has a 1/2 day on 4/1 but the boys still go all day on 4/1 but also have to go for a 1/2 day on 4/2.
We are also working on plans for Joshua's birthday. He was planning to take some friends to a museum that is having a special exhibit called "Big, big, bugs" where they have made huge replicas of different bugs. You sort of get a "Honey we shrunk the kids" type of effect. I figured that would be really cool for young boys. What happens but Joshua's class plans a trip to that museum the week before Spring break so now we are changing plans.
We have had 2 rather unusual experiences since I blogged last and not necessarily good ones. The first happened on a Wed. as I went to pick up the boys from school. None of the kids & teachers were outside when we got there and it was time that they should be. So Rachel & I walked up to the school to go find the boys. Turns out that the entire school was on "lock down". The school had been notified just shortly before the end of the school day that the sheriff had gone to pick up someone on a "mental warrant" and he had bolted when he saw the sheriff in the driveway. This occurred less than a mile from the school as well as 2 other schools. The guy had been known to be aggressive & possibly had a pocket knife. This put all 3 schools on lock down. It was rather good experience to see how well all the teachers handled their responsibilities. They had males (asst. principal, PE teacher, social worker) out patrolling the parking lot to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. All outside doors were locked and there was only one way in to get to the kids. It was being controlled by the principal and another worker. The sheriff never did catch the guy. It is believed that his girlfriend helped him leave the area.
The second one happened last week (I think it was Thursday). Joshua had finished his homework and went outside to play. He came in and said that there was a WOOD TV 8 news van at the top of the street. I looked at the time and it was 5 which is when they start news coverage. We turned on the TV and they said there had been a shooting at the corner of Ann & Center. We rushed out the door & up to the corner and sure enough here was a ton of cop cars and the intersection completely blocked off. There were lots of stories going around as to what had happened. The final (official) story is that a police man stopped a moped because there were 2 people on it. When the cop asked the driver for ID, he didn't have any & then he took off. The officer got a hand on his jacket but then the guy slipped out of it & took off. The guy went between a couple of houses and when he couldn't make it over a fence, he turned around and pulled a gun on the cop. The officer ended up having to shoot him. Turns out that the guy was a parole absconder. He was wanted for parole violations from last October & wasn't very happy at the idea of getting caught. This would actually have been his 4th strike with such charges as armed robbery as well as drugs. It was a rather strange night. They had the intersection shut down for 4-5 hours and then the next afternoon there were about 4 cars back on the scene. Of course, this is the time of excitement we would really rather avoid. The only positive thing I can say is that it breaks up the normal routine of our lives.
Well, gotta get going. It's mop night here at work & I also haven't gotten any other cleaning done yet. Only an hour and a half before I have to get a resident up and ready for her day so I better get at it. Especially since I have a "newby" here that needs a good example set & I don't want her going around telling others we don't do our work.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Great Wolf Lodge
Ok. I know it was almost a week ago but we have been recovering from a rather strange weekend. Last Thursday, the family was going to enjoy a one-night vacation. Thanks to a very generous Christmas present, we were going to spend a night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. This resort has a spectacular indoor waterpark that the kids had always wanted to check out. The kids didn't have school on Friday so we had some time after arriving Thursday evening to use the park & then we could stay & use the park all day Friday even though we had to be checked out of our room by 11 am.
The kids had been looking forward to this ever since Christmas. Stephen counted down everyday for at least the 2 weeks prior to leaving. I wasn't sure that the kids were going to explode in the van waiting for Mark to get us registered and find out where our room was. We simply threw everything in the room & changed into our suits and hit the park.
It is really something! There is a fort for climbing through. There are all sorts of water activities along the way. On top of the fort is a giant bucket that is constantly filling. It actually tips over and spills 1,000 gallons of water every 5 minutes. There is a warning bell when it is about to go over. It was interesting to watch because when the bell rings everyone runs right to where it will dump so they can get soaked. There are also 5 different waterslides, 2 are body slides that you reach from the fort & 3 are tube slides that you go up a seperate set of stairs to reach. These slides are 3-4 stories tall so we definitely got in our stair climbing. They have single & double tubes for 2 slides and the third slide uses triple tubes. The air temp is 84 degrees and the water is all plenty warm. There are also other water activities & pools. They even have 2 hot tubs: 1 for families & 1 for adults only. Joshua was even tall enough that he could do everything he wanted to without having to convince someone to go with him. IT WAS A WONDERFUL TIME!
Like I said we spent several hours there on Thursday evening then went down just after checking out around 10am on Friday morning. I was scheduled to work Friday night so we planned to leave there by 7pm to have plenty of time to get home so I could work. Our plans were changed, however.
Not 5 minutes after giving the kids a 30 minute warning that they were going to have to get out, showered, & dressed, Joshua gave us all quite a scare. I went down a slide in a single tube & Mark & Joshua was following me down in a double. Well, something happened & as they were coming down the slide, Joshua slipped through the hole of the tube too far. He was pinned with his neck between Mark's legs and the tube. Mark did what he could to get him back up but there isn't much you can do while in a winding tube with water splashing all around and carrying you down it. Mark jumped off the tube the second they splashed into the pool and scooped Joshua up. At the pool edge, he set Joshua on his feet & I found a chair a few feet away for Joshua to sit down on. Joshua just couldn't settle down. He was crying and just really upset. I went and got towels and grabbed a floor supervisor. Joshua was to the point that he wasn't responding to our questions. He got to the point where he couldn't catch his breath. By this time, we had the other attention of 2 other supervisors. Now his hands were turning inward in a very strange way and his feet were turning purple. They put oxygen on him but still couldn't get him to slow down his breathing or stop the crying. We finally had them call for an ambulance (I wasn't about to transport him ourselves when there was a possible neck injury.)
Mark ended up riding in the ambulance with Joshua while I got dressed and Rachel & Stephen loaded up our van. Rachel and Stephen did great at getting dressed and loading the van so that we could get to the hospital. Actually, we beat the ambulance because the EMT's took the time to put on a neck brace and put him on a backboard before putting him on the gurney and wheeling him to the ambulance. Rachel was impressed that I knew how to get to the hospital without any problems. But since it is the same place that Mom was for her heart attack & surgery as well as having to take Joshua there probably about 4 years ago when we were at Lake Ann.
Joshua had settle down and was looking pretty good by the time I got to his room at the ER of Munson. The doctor's ordered a full set of xrays. The final verdict was that he had a neck sprain. All bones were fine. When people sprain the neck muscle, the muscles have a tendency to continue having spasms. So we believe that the spasms were either hurting Joshua and/or scaring him to the point that he hyperventilated. He was released about 9:30pm and doctors said that it would be ok for him to ride home that night.
I had already called in because I didn't want to wait to late to call and had no clue as to how long we might be or if they were going to even release him that night. Turns out that I could have gone to work but only been an hour late because we got home about 12midnight. But then again, I was also exhausted & it didn't have to due just with the busy day that we had had. I was just very much emotionally drained. That drainage continued for all of Saturday and most of Sunday. I felt as though I had worked even though I hadn't.
Joshua has been doing very well & is pretty much over it now. He was taking ibuprofen at least twice a day until Tuesday when he was able to go down to once. Then on Wednesday, he didn't have any. I kept him out of gym for Monday but let him do it Wednesday. He is really anxious to get back to playing basketball. He was rather disappointed that he didn't get to do it on Saturday after we got home but he also admitted that he didn't feel up to it either.
So that was our mini winter vacation. It came to a close rather unexpectedly but we really did have a GREAT time other than that.
Well, my time is about up for now. We have cleaning to do & lunches to pack before we get our residents up and finish up our shift.
The kids had been looking forward to this ever since Christmas. Stephen counted down everyday for at least the 2 weeks prior to leaving. I wasn't sure that the kids were going to explode in the van waiting for Mark to get us registered and find out where our room was. We simply threw everything in the room & changed into our suits and hit the park.
It is really something! There is a fort for climbing through. There are all sorts of water activities along the way. On top of the fort is a giant bucket that is constantly filling. It actually tips over and spills 1,000 gallons of water every 5 minutes. There is a warning bell when it is about to go over. It was interesting to watch because when the bell rings everyone runs right to where it will dump so they can get soaked. There are also 5 different waterslides, 2 are body slides that you reach from the fort & 3 are tube slides that you go up a seperate set of stairs to reach. These slides are 3-4 stories tall so we definitely got in our stair climbing. They have single & double tubes for 2 slides and the third slide uses triple tubes. The air temp is 84 degrees and the water is all plenty warm. There are also other water activities & pools. They even have 2 hot tubs: 1 for families & 1 for adults only. Joshua was even tall enough that he could do everything he wanted to without having to convince someone to go with him. IT WAS A WONDERFUL TIME!
Like I said we spent several hours there on Thursday evening then went down just after checking out around 10am on Friday morning. I was scheduled to work Friday night so we planned to leave there by 7pm to have plenty of time to get home so I could work. Our plans were changed, however.
Not 5 minutes after giving the kids a 30 minute warning that they were going to have to get out, showered, & dressed, Joshua gave us all quite a scare. I went down a slide in a single tube & Mark & Joshua was following me down in a double. Well, something happened & as they were coming down the slide, Joshua slipped through the hole of the tube too far. He was pinned with his neck between Mark's legs and the tube. Mark did what he could to get him back up but there isn't much you can do while in a winding tube with water splashing all around and carrying you down it. Mark jumped off the tube the second they splashed into the pool and scooped Joshua up. At the pool edge, he set Joshua on his feet & I found a chair a few feet away for Joshua to sit down on. Joshua just couldn't settle down. He was crying and just really upset. I went and got towels and grabbed a floor supervisor. Joshua was to the point that he wasn't responding to our questions. He got to the point where he couldn't catch his breath. By this time, we had the other attention of 2 other supervisors. Now his hands were turning inward in a very strange way and his feet were turning purple. They put oxygen on him but still couldn't get him to slow down his breathing or stop the crying. We finally had them call for an ambulance (I wasn't about to transport him ourselves when there was a possible neck injury.)
Mark ended up riding in the ambulance with Joshua while I got dressed and Rachel & Stephen loaded up our van. Rachel and Stephen did great at getting dressed and loading the van so that we could get to the hospital. Actually, we beat the ambulance because the EMT's took the time to put on a neck brace and put him on a backboard before putting him on the gurney and wheeling him to the ambulance. Rachel was impressed that I knew how to get to the hospital without any problems. But since it is the same place that Mom was for her heart attack & surgery as well as having to take Joshua there probably about 4 years ago when we were at Lake Ann.
Joshua had settle down and was looking pretty good by the time I got to his room at the ER of Munson. The doctor's ordered a full set of xrays. The final verdict was that he had a neck sprain. All bones were fine. When people sprain the neck muscle, the muscles have a tendency to continue having spasms. So we believe that the spasms were either hurting Joshua and/or scaring him to the point that he hyperventilated. He was released about 9:30pm and doctors said that it would be ok for him to ride home that night.
I had already called in because I didn't want to wait to late to call and had no clue as to how long we might be or if they were going to even release him that night. Turns out that I could have gone to work but only been an hour late because we got home about 12midnight. But then again, I was also exhausted & it didn't have to due just with the busy day that we had had. I was just very much emotionally drained. That drainage continued for all of Saturday and most of Sunday. I felt as though I had worked even though I hadn't.
Joshua has been doing very well & is pretty much over it now. He was taking ibuprofen at least twice a day until Tuesday when he was able to go down to once. Then on Wednesday, he didn't have any. I kept him out of gym for Monday but let him do it Wednesday. He is really anxious to get back to playing basketball. He was rather disappointed that he didn't get to do it on Saturday after we got home but he also admitted that he didn't feel up to it either.
So that was our mini winter vacation. It came to a close rather unexpectedly but we really did have a GREAT time other than that.
Well, my time is about up for now. We have cleaning to do & lunches to pack before we get our residents up and finish up our shift.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Different evening
This was quite the different Friday night for our family. Rachel had her first "hanging out with friends at the mall" night. She wanted to go see the new Percy Jackson movie that came out today with a set of twins from school. Their sister had to go to work at the mall this evening so I got Rachel to their house in time to go with her. The first movie showing was booked so the girls went shopping for presents for another friend that they have a birthday party to go to later this month. She was a bit hyper to say the least when she got home shortly after 10 pm.
Mark had volunteered to take our AWANA grand prix track to Allegan for them to use tomorrow. So he took Stephen with him. They had dinner at Sonic & didn't get back till 10 pm either.
That left Joshua & I at home. We went to Fazoli's for dinner & then Joshua played on the computer & watched TV. I did the usual & fell asleep on the couch watching TV & completely missed the opening ceremonies that I wanted to see. Joshua didn't seem to mind not doing much because he did have the computer and TV to himself, not to mention he was still up when every one got home at 10.
Tomorrow we are going to be scattered throughout much of the day too. We will all go to Joshua's basketball game at 11 am. Then Rachel is going with a family from church to put on a show at a nursing home & hang out at their house for a while. It is homecoming week at Cornerstone so Mark is taking the boys to see the women's and men's basketball games in the afternoon while I get some sleep. I believe Mark & Stephen are going to see a movie then in the evening.
You better believe that Sunday will be much more settled at home as the boys are all looking forward to Daytona. Stephen was really excited that I had the Gatorade Duels on when he came home Thursday afternoon. He was able to watch the second one which is the one that Tony was in anyway. So now that football is over, it is on to NASCAR.
Mark had volunteered to take our AWANA grand prix track to Allegan for them to use tomorrow. So he took Stephen with him. They had dinner at Sonic & didn't get back till 10 pm either.
That left Joshua & I at home. We went to Fazoli's for dinner & then Joshua played on the computer & watched TV. I did the usual & fell asleep on the couch watching TV & completely missed the opening ceremonies that I wanted to see. Joshua didn't seem to mind not doing much because he did have the computer and TV to himself, not to mention he was still up when every one got home at 10.
Tomorrow we are going to be scattered throughout much of the day too. We will all go to Joshua's basketball game at 11 am. Then Rachel is going with a family from church to put on a show at a nursing home & hang out at their house for a while. It is homecoming week at Cornerstone so Mark is taking the boys to see the women's and men's basketball games in the afternoon while I get some sleep. I believe Mark & Stephen are going to see a movie then in the evening.
You better believe that Sunday will be much more settled at home as the boys are all looking forward to Daytona. Stephen was really excited that I had the Gatorade Duels on when he came home Thursday afternoon. He was able to watch the second one which is the one that Tony was in anyway. So now that football is over, it is on to NASCAR.
Another snow day
Well, the kids had another snow day this week. It started Tuesday morning and kept up snowing till Wednesday morning. We received around 10 inches and some blowing. Truly, it wasn't horrible Wednesday morning but it was the infamous "Count Day" in the state of Michigan. This is the day that official counts have to be done at all schools and it determines how much money the school will get from the state. I think most of the schools were concerned that parents would just decide to keep the kids home even though it wasn't too bad and their counts would be low. So they closed on Wednesday and that made today "Count day". By mid-morning Wednesday, the sun was out and it looked very pretty (of course, it would have been prettier if it were still Dec.).
Things were so much better that they even decided to have our normal Wednesday services. The policy is usually if schools are closed, so is church but that changed. This wasn't a good thing for me because I was making cakes for our Pastor's birthday for Wed. evening and they weren't done. There was a problem at work Tues. evening so they didn't get done there. I had to cut my sleep short and was a bit late but they did get done & he really liked them. I ended up making 2 cakes both being 1/2 sheet size and double layer. It seemed like a ton of cake but we only had 1/3 of one left so I was happy.
If you happened to try calling the house phone for the past 2 days, you couldn't get through. We were in the process of dropping our landline but we don't quite know why it took 2 days to get the port of our house phone number to the new cell phone. Here's the $ saving plan the we are trying: We have cancelled our landline but purchased a new cell phone and added it to our plan. That cell phone is to stay at the house and become the house phone. Good news is that it even has the old house phone #. So we are saving by not paying for the landline ($40-$50) & when we went to add the new cell phone, we were told that the same plan had dropped $20/month so we are still saving $10 on the cell bill even with another line. The only thing going up $10 is our DSL line for our internet service. All total, we should be coming out ahead each month. We can also now receive text messages at the house #. So if you like texting that is fine too. Every little savings helps, right?
Not much else to tell you about right now. Work is work & we are still busier than we know how to handle. Mark's dad is staying with Mark's aunt for a while so that has settled down a bit. There may still be more to deal with there but for now our focus is on pressing concerns and responsibilities right here.
Things were so much better that they even decided to have our normal Wednesday services. The policy is usually if schools are closed, so is church but that changed. This wasn't a good thing for me because I was making cakes for our Pastor's birthday for Wed. evening and they weren't done. There was a problem at work Tues. evening so they didn't get done there. I had to cut my sleep short and was a bit late but they did get done & he really liked them. I ended up making 2 cakes both being 1/2 sheet size and double layer. It seemed like a ton of cake but we only had 1/3 of one left so I was happy.
If you happened to try calling the house phone for the past 2 days, you couldn't get through. We were in the process of dropping our landline but we don't quite know why it took 2 days to get the port of our house phone number to the new cell phone. Here's the $ saving plan the we are trying: We have cancelled our landline but purchased a new cell phone and added it to our plan. That cell phone is to stay at the house and become the house phone. Good news is that it even has the old house phone #. So we are saving by not paying for the landline ($40-$50) & when we went to add the new cell phone, we were told that the same plan had dropped $20/month so we are still saving $10 on the cell bill even with another line. The only thing going up $10 is our DSL line for our internet service. All total, we should be coming out ahead each month. We can also now receive text messages at the house #. So if you like texting that is fine too. Every little savings helps, right?
Not much else to tell you about right now. Work is work & we are still busier than we know how to handle. Mark's dad is staying with Mark's aunt for a while so that has settled down a bit. There may still be more to deal with there but for now our focus is on pressing concerns and responsibilities right here.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Time to brag!
That is a parent's rights, right? Report cards came home last week. All 3 kids did very well!
This is Joshua's first year getting letter grades & he did well. There are a few improvements that need made but nothing very major. (Most of it is even behavioral, not knowledge problems.)
Stephen was on the Honor Roll again this quarter. He also made a program called TCB which stands for Taking Care of Business. This focuses more on responsibilities and behavior. Each quarter that he makes this they have a party of some sort for the kids then if he makes it at least 3 of the 4 quarters, he could spend a school day at Cedar Point. So far this year, he has done it 2 quarters. I don't know if I posted it earlier but he is also doing 8th grade math this year like Rachel did. He should go on to algebra next year and stay a year ahead the rest of the way. He also did a paper at the end of last semester that was very impressive. It was graded in both history & English and he received excellent scores in both. It actually surprised his teachers and us at how well he did on it. He didn't even ask for much help which made us a bit nervous but he evidently didn't need it.
Rachel took her first finals that will be following her throughout the rest of her schooling. She ended up with a 3.74GPA. Not too shabby! She was a bit disappointed in a C+ that she received on one final but since it was in her college level history class, we can't hardly complain. The fact that 4 of those classes are all advanced for her grade level adds to the impressiveness to me. She will also know more of how and what to study next time. She was invited to an honors party at the school tomorrow. It is for everyone with a 3.0GPA or higher who also didn't receive any referrals (demerits). There were only 40 kids invited to it so that is pretty cool. They will even be giving away some gift cards.
OK...I guess that is enough bragging! Rachel says I embarrass her when I talk about her grades but then again, she is a teenager I always embarrass her!
On to other things: Mark's dad is being released from a hospital tomorrow. He had to be taken in due to a severe blood sugar drop almost 2 weeks ago. They have also now discovered the start of heart failure & dementia. As you can imagine, this has been a difficult situation for us. Mark has made 2 trips over to the Detroit area during this time which has been a bit overwhelming with our already busy schedule. For the time being, Bob is going to go stay with his sisters' "Up North". It is even more stressful as there was nothing discussed or put in place ahead of time and Mark & his sister are not necessarily in agreement with what Mark's aunts want to do. We are having to take this all one day at a time to see just how well he can get with new medications. It is also getting us busy making things are set up for Mark's mom as well as for ourselves.
Mark & I were a bit disappointed that Rachel didn't try out for the school musical this week. She just isn't confident in her singing ability. She is a lot better then she thinks. She did, however, contact last years science teacher and is making plans to help coach the 8th graders for the science olympiad this year. If you remember, she did well last year & helped her team go from the regionals to the state competition.
Rachel's Monday elective this semester is "Creative writing/Journalism". I think this should be good for her. At least, it will give her some creative outlet & she is such a reader, I'm sure she probably has lots of ideas.
We are still praying concerning a first shift opportunity for me. I have put in some applications/resumes but no nibbles yet. The one that I would most like to get that I have applied for is a school secretary position. They may be bringing another one on at Rachel's school which would be great but also they are starting another prep (charter) high school at the north end of town & they are going to need someone there too. I would be happy with either.
Well, time for bed checks & I have other things to do on the computer tonight. I need to make the best of the time I'm awake here so I better post this and move on.
This is Joshua's first year getting letter grades & he did well. There are a few improvements that need made but nothing very major. (Most of it is even behavioral, not knowledge problems.)
Stephen was on the Honor Roll again this quarter. He also made a program called TCB which stands for Taking Care of Business. This focuses more on responsibilities and behavior. Each quarter that he makes this they have a party of some sort for the kids then if he makes it at least 3 of the 4 quarters, he could spend a school day at Cedar Point. So far this year, he has done it 2 quarters. I don't know if I posted it earlier but he is also doing 8th grade math this year like Rachel did. He should go on to algebra next year and stay a year ahead the rest of the way. He also did a paper at the end of last semester that was very impressive. It was graded in both history & English and he received excellent scores in both. It actually surprised his teachers and us at how well he did on it. He didn't even ask for much help which made us a bit nervous but he evidently didn't need it.
Rachel took her first finals that will be following her throughout the rest of her schooling. She ended up with a 3.74GPA. Not too shabby! She was a bit disappointed in a C+ that she received on one final but since it was in her college level history class, we can't hardly complain. The fact that 4 of those classes are all advanced for her grade level adds to the impressiveness to me. She will also know more of how and what to study next time. She was invited to an honors party at the school tomorrow. It is for everyone with a 3.0GPA or higher who also didn't receive any referrals (demerits). There were only 40 kids invited to it so that is pretty cool. They will even be giving away some gift cards.
OK...I guess that is enough bragging! Rachel says I embarrass her when I talk about her grades but then again, she is a teenager I always embarrass her!
On to other things: Mark's dad is being released from a hospital tomorrow. He had to be taken in due to a severe blood sugar drop almost 2 weeks ago. They have also now discovered the start of heart failure & dementia. As you can imagine, this has been a difficult situation for us. Mark has made 2 trips over to the Detroit area during this time which has been a bit overwhelming with our already busy schedule. For the time being, Bob is going to go stay with his sisters' "Up North". It is even more stressful as there was nothing discussed or put in place ahead of time and Mark & his sister are not necessarily in agreement with what Mark's aunts want to do. We are having to take this all one day at a time to see just how well he can get with new medications. It is also getting us busy making things are set up for Mark's mom as well as for ourselves.
Mark & I were a bit disappointed that Rachel didn't try out for the school musical this week. She just isn't confident in her singing ability. She is a lot better then she thinks. She did, however, contact last years science teacher and is making plans to help coach the 8th graders for the science olympiad this year. If you remember, she did well last year & helped her team go from the regionals to the state competition.
Rachel's Monday elective this semester is "Creative writing/Journalism". I think this should be good for her. At least, it will give her some creative outlet & she is such a reader, I'm sure she probably has lots of ideas.
We are still praying concerning a first shift opportunity for me. I have put in some applications/resumes but no nibbles yet. The one that I would most like to get that I have applied for is a school secretary position. They may be bringing another one on at Rachel's school which would be great but also they are starting another prep (charter) high school at the north end of town & they are going to need someone there too. I would be happy with either.
Well, time for bed checks & I have other things to do on the computer tonight. I need to make the best of the time I'm awake here so I better post this and move on.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Last weekend...
was not exactly a good weekend around our house. I received a call from the boys' school about a 1/2 hour before school was out saying that Joshua had thrown up & needed picked up. Turns out that he was having trouble at both ends and couldn't even keep water down the rest of the night. I ended up calling in at work which was good because he and I were up most of the night. Finally about 3 am, he started holding down liquids so then I could give him some Tylenol for the headache he had. Not sure if the headache was from the virus or if he was getting dehydrated but it hurt pretty bad. We kept him on clear liquids all day Saturday then started a bland diet on Sunday. By Monday, he was all better & back at school. It was some kind of virus that hit him but fortunately it didn't last too long & even more important, the rest of us have been fine.
It was a real concern that he didn't pass this around the house because this is the end of the marking period for everyone. Stephen has had several mid-terms this week & Rachel has been dealing with finals. This is really the first time that she has had major finals and of course being in 9th grade, these are the first ones that will follow her the rest of her educational career. We didn't need either of them sick & thankfully they haven't gotten it. Rachel has 4 finals down and 2 to go tomorrow morning. She'll be done by 11 am and have a long weekend to rest up from them. Grades from the first 2 were both B's but overall, she ended up with and A in Honors Biology & a B+ in Spanish II. This gives here a 3.65 GPA at this point. I'll be surprised if that doesn't go up higher when all is said and done for the semester.
Other than Joshua's flu, it was a rather normal weekend. Rachel had a birthday party to attend Friday evening (another one this Friday too) and Mark & Stephen went to a Griffens' hockey game on Saturday. That was supposed to include Joshua but didn't for obvious reasons. They were able to bring him home a jersey that was the gift for the first 1200 kids that night though. (Mark has a friend that has season tickets that pulled some strings.)
This week has been a bit tough on me though. I have had to work Mon-Thur nights & Rachel has had 1/2 days Tues, Wed, & tomorrow. This means that she needs picked up at 11am which makes my sleeping a bit interrupted. Fortunately, I'll have the weekend to rest up.
That's about all the news from here.
It was a real concern that he didn't pass this around the house because this is the end of the marking period for everyone. Stephen has had several mid-terms this week & Rachel has been dealing with finals. This is really the first time that she has had major finals and of course being in 9th grade, these are the first ones that will follow her the rest of her educational career. We didn't need either of them sick & thankfully they haven't gotten it. Rachel has 4 finals down and 2 to go tomorrow morning. She'll be done by 11 am and have a long weekend to rest up from them. Grades from the first 2 were both B's but overall, she ended up with and A in Honors Biology & a B+ in Spanish II. This gives here a 3.65 GPA at this point. I'll be surprised if that doesn't go up higher when all is said and done for the semester.
Other than Joshua's flu, it was a rather normal weekend. Rachel had a birthday party to attend Friday evening (another one this Friday too) and Mark & Stephen went to a Griffens' hockey game on Saturday. That was supposed to include Joshua but didn't for obvious reasons. They were able to bring him home a jersey that was the gift for the first 1200 kids that night though. (Mark has a friend that has season tickets that pulled some strings.)
This week has been a bit tough on me though. I have had to work Mon-Thur nights & Rachel has had 1/2 days Tues, Wed, & tomorrow. This means that she needs picked up at 11am which makes my sleeping a bit interrupted. Fortunately, I'll have the weekend to rest up.
That's about all the news from here.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Nothing much
Well, I haven't blogged because there hasn't been much to say. Kids are back in school. Mark & I are busy with work. We are just back into the normal routine of things.
Rachel did miss 2 days of school last week due to severe congestion. When her head backs up it just really backs up. She couldn't breathe well & was draining like a faucet both of those days. She was able to get caught up fairly easily though. She is also preparing for her finals next week. It is sort of a nice method they have for doing it at her high school. She only takes 2 finals a day and then has the rest of the day off for Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday. She then should have some quiet time before the boys come home to study for the next days finals.
Next Friday is Records day for all 3 kids so they will be home. Actually, they are hoping to go tubing from 10-1. Then Stephen has a basketball party from 2-5 & Rachel has a birthday party for some twins from 5-9. So I would say it is going to be a rather busy day.
So that is about it for us. Nothing big. We are healthy & fine so not much to write about. Maybe I'll have some exciting grades to write about soon. Also, there are tryouts for a musical at Rachel's school in early Feb. Will keep everyone informed on those as things develop.
Rachel did miss 2 days of school last week due to severe congestion. When her head backs up it just really backs up. She couldn't breathe well & was draining like a faucet both of those days. She was able to get caught up fairly easily though. She is also preparing for her finals next week. It is sort of a nice method they have for doing it at her high school. She only takes 2 finals a day and then has the rest of the day off for Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday. She then should have some quiet time before the boys come home to study for the next days finals.
Next Friday is Records day for all 3 kids so they will be home. Actually, they are hoping to go tubing from 10-1. Then Stephen has a basketball party from 2-5 & Rachel has a birthday party for some twins from 5-9. So I would say it is going to be a rather busy day.
So that is about it for us. Nothing big. We are healthy & fine so not much to write about. Maybe I'll have some exciting grades to write about soon. Also, there are tryouts for a musical at Rachel's school in early Feb. Will keep everyone informed on those as things develop.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Quiet Christmas
We have enjoyed a rather quiet Christmas holiday. I actually had Christmas Eve and the rest of the weekend off from work. Santa did make a stop at our house with a few items for each person even though our main gift for the family was the laptop that we didn't wait till Christmas to start using.
Mark's mom came for a visit on Saturday morning till Monday afternoon. We enjoy her visits and she is a great help with getting caught up on dishes and laundry which is never ending around our house.
The weather was such that on Christmas Eve, Mark & I almost hit a parked car directly across from our house head-on. There had been some mix of light precipitation throughout the day so the side roads were turning very slick. As much as we always enjoy the Christmas Eve service at our church, we didn't feel that we could chance wrecking a vehicle to go so we stayed home. Our candlelight service was held with a Gaither Homecoming Christmas in Atlanta (I saw a little of it but slept through most.).
Mark did get to use his snowblower again over the weekend. It was debatable as to whether he should bother with the blower or just use a shovel but the blower it was. No one was predicting much but we did end up with a couple of fresh inches here & there.
I have been back to work since Sunday evening so not much excitement for this week. I have Wednesday off but then back to work for New Year's Eve & the weekend.
The kids go back to school on Monday & we will all be getting back into the routine of things around here. Stephen is done with basketball (at least through school) so that should lighten up on some of the evening activities & running around that we had during Nov. & Dec. We haven't decided if we are signing Stephen & Joshua up for more basketball through the Y during their next session. We would sort of like to though because it is exciting to see their improvement each session.
That's about it for here. All's relatively quiet & I rather hope to keep it that way. I would really prefer that to some of the other options (illness, injuries, & such).
Mark's mom came for a visit on Saturday morning till Monday afternoon. We enjoy her visits and she is a great help with getting caught up on dishes and laundry which is never ending around our house.
The weather was such that on Christmas Eve, Mark & I almost hit a parked car directly across from our house head-on. There had been some mix of light precipitation throughout the day so the side roads were turning very slick. As much as we always enjoy the Christmas Eve service at our church, we didn't feel that we could chance wrecking a vehicle to go so we stayed home. Our candlelight service was held with a Gaither Homecoming Christmas in Atlanta (I saw a little of it but slept through most.).
Mark did get to use his snowblower again over the weekend. It was debatable as to whether he should bother with the blower or just use a shovel but the blower it was. No one was predicting much but we did end up with a couple of fresh inches here & there.
I have been back to work since Sunday evening so not much excitement for this week. I have Wednesday off but then back to work for New Year's Eve & the weekend.
The kids go back to school on Monday & we will all be getting back into the routine of things around here. Stephen is done with basketball (at least through school) so that should lighten up on some of the evening activities & running around that we had during Nov. & Dec. We haven't decided if we are signing Stephen & Joshua up for more basketball through the Y during their next session. We would sort of like to though because it is exciting to see their improvement each session.
That's about it for here. All's relatively quiet & I rather hope to keep it that way. I would really prefer that to some of the other options (illness, injuries, & such).
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Survived
Well, we are all surviving this busy season. The puppet performance at church went very well. All three of our kids are developing into quite the little puppeteers.
Rachel turned 15 on Sunday. She had a party last night. We let her have 5 friends over from school. It got rather noisy around our house with 6 teenage girls. They watched videos & tried to make gingerbread houses. The Longenberger mold came in rather handy. Unfortunately, the houses didn't stay together very well. Ended up each girl took a part of the house and decorated it separately. Of course, that did make them all happy because they all had plenty of sugar in the decorations. I think Rachel had a good time!
Now we are focused on all the last minute preps that always need done. So not much out of the ordinary here. I am actually working until Wednesday night then will have 3 nights off. I will be working the New Year's holiday this year instead of the Christmas weekend. Some jobs just don't come with time off for holidays. The residents still need care.
Well, that is about it for now. Guess I just am not very "chatty" tonight but wanted to try to make sure it wasn't too long between posts.
Rachel turned 15 on Sunday. She had a party last night. We let her have 5 friends over from school. It got rather noisy around our house with 6 teenage girls. They watched videos & tried to make gingerbread houses. The Longenberger mold came in rather handy. Unfortunately, the houses didn't stay together very well. Ended up each girl took a part of the house and decorated it separately. Of course, that did make them all happy because they all had plenty of sugar in the decorations. I think Rachel had a good time!
Now we are focused on all the last minute preps that always need done. So not much out of the ordinary here. I am actually working until Wednesday night then will have 3 nights off. I will be working the New Year's holiday this year instead of the Christmas weekend. Some jobs just don't come with time off for holidays. The residents still need care.
Well, that is about it for now. Guess I just am not very "chatty" tonight but wanted to try to make sure it wasn't too long between posts.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Try again...
Well, I am going to once again try to start blogging regularly. I am hoping that it will be able to be a much more regular occasion because we finally did it...we broke down and got a laptop. We just really felt it would be beneficial to all of us, especially the kids. Our desktop is so old it doesn't have the software the kids need for school projects not to mention it is sooooooooooooo slow that it takes forever to do anything. When you have 2 that have lots schoolwork that requires either research or to be done on software it gets pretty frustrating. Of course, the only time I am actually awake enough to blog is when I have to be here at work. I won't go into all we went to get this laptop on Black Friday because that is a major blog in by itself.
It was so nice to see all the family for brother Mark's 50th! I just wish that it had been for longer. So many to visit with and so little time!
We are all doing fine since then. Busy is really an understatement to our lives right now. I hardly know where to start telling you about all that is going on. I am so glad that the kids didn't start sports till now. That seems to have added so much to our already busy schedule. We are so glad that the both boys are in basketball and are thrilled to see their improvements over the last year but I'm not sure I could have handled this for too many years.
Also adding to the craziness of this time of the year is the weather. We went from having no snow at all to getting 9 inches over night (forecasts were for 1-4 inches). That was the first week of December and all the kids got a snow day. Then last week we had a 3-4 day storm (near blizzard). The administrators just didn't know what to do with themselves. Ended up that Stephen & Joshua had 3 days off while Rachel only had one day off. One of the days she went may also not even count toward the states required hours because not enough kids were in attendance. In the 10 years that Rachel has been going to school, I don't remember a single year that they have had 4 snow days for the whole year. Now it is only December & they have already had 4! Or 2 in Rachel's case! This week now we have had 2 days of above freezing temps which has brought rain & fog. Today we are headed back below freezing & the lake effect is starting up again. None of my kids' school closed this fall for the flu though so we did bypass those days off. There are some systems in the area that I think used up all the "Snow days" as "flu days" this fall. Those kids may be in school till 4th of July next summer.
The snow days have also affected the basketball schedule which in turn dominoes and affects all the rest of our carefully planned out activities. It did, however, give Stephen lots of time for a research paper he had due this week.
Now don't expect something every night because I do sometimes get nights off, not often, but occasionally. And also, like I said, I have to share it, especially for homework. I also have other things I like to do when I have the chance too.
Love to all who actually keep checking on our family.
It was so nice to see all the family for brother Mark's 50th! I just wish that it had been for longer. So many to visit with and so little time!
We are all doing fine since then. Busy is really an understatement to our lives right now. I hardly know where to start telling you about all that is going on. I am so glad that the kids didn't start sports till now. That seems to have added so much to our already busy schedule. We are so glad that the both boys are in basketball and are thrilled to see their improvements over the last year but I'm not sure I could have handled this for too many years.
Also adding to the craziness of this time of the year is the weather. We went from having no snow at all to getting 9 inches over night (forecasts were for 1-4 inches). That was the first week of December and all the kids got a snow day. Then last week we had a 3-4 day storm (near blizzard). The administrators just didn't know what to do with themselves. Ended up that Stephen & Joshua had 3 days off while Rachel only had one day off. One of the days she went may also not even count toward the states required hours because not enough kids were in attendance. In the 10 years that Rachel has been going to school, I don't remember a single year that they have had 4 snow days for the whole year. Now it is only December & they have already had 4! Or 2 in Rachel's case! This week now we have had 2 days of above freezing temps which has brought rain & fog. Today we are headed back below freezing & the lake effect is starting up again. None of my kids' school closed this fall for the flu though so we did bypass those days off. There are some systems in the area that I think used up all the "Snow days" as "flu days" this fall. Those kids may be in school till 4th of July next summer.
The snow days have also affected the basketball schedule which in turn dominoes and affects all the rest of our carefully planned out activities. It did, however, give Stephen lots of time for a research paper he had due this week.
Now don't expect something every night because I do sometimes get nights off, not often, but occasionally. And also, like I said, I have to share it, especially for homework. I also have other things I like to do when I have the chance too.
Love to all who actually keep checking on our family.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Where to start...
I know it has been FOREVER since I blogged last. Sorry about that. It isn't that we don't have anything to write about either. The problem is that we are so busy doing, it is hard to find time to write. Now, if someone would like to donate a laptop to my family so I could blog from work, I would promise to blog much more often. It seems lately, that if I'm not at work I'm either sleeping or busy doing & not doing much sitting at the computer either. I'll try to bring you all up to speed but I'll do it in short bursts so as to not tire all of you out=)
I should probably start with the fact that we are all fine. Rachel had a bad case of strep throat last week but other than that, we have all been healthy. Kids have just a week left of school before their summer vacation starts & they are anxious for that.
I figure I should probably start with an update on the state Science Olympiad that Rachel qualified for that I had mentioned previously. It was held at MI State University on May 2. We had to meet the bus at the kids' school to leave @ 6 a.m. We left Stephen & Joshua with Gramma @ our house & boy, is it a good thing we did! It was a full day! Rachel competed in 3 competitions, same as at regionals: ecology, crave the wave, & pentathalon. There were 48 schools from around the state competing that day. Our school came in 28th overall which isn't the greatest but yet the fact that we were even at the state level competition was a big deal. Rachel ended up placing 16th, 19th, & 24th (I think). So no medals this time. However, there were 2 competitions that our school did medal in which is not too bad for our first showing. Overall, it was a lot of fun & a great experience for us all! They're talking about changes to the program that would allow up to 5 9th graders to come back & compete next year & Rachel piped right up & said to count her in for that.
Speaking of Rachel, next Thursday (June 4th) is her 8th grade graduation! They make quite a big deal out of it at this school which I am not used to but can rather understand. Most schools the kids will all be together for the following years in high school. Not so with the charter schools. The kids are all from many different school districts & will now be scattered next year as they enter high school. It is rather tough when you realize some of these kids have been together for the last 9 years. You are all invited if you would like to come!
Well, I think that is enough to start with. I hope to get back on later today to tell you about Rachel & my trip to DC a couple of weeks ago. Right now, though, laundry is calling!
I should probably start with the fact that we are all fine. Rachel had a bad case of strep throat last week but other than that, we have all been healthy. Kids have just a week left of school before their summer vacation starts & they are anxious for that.
I figure I should probably start with an update on the state Science Olympiad that Rachel qualified for that I had mentioned previously. It was held at MI State University on May 2. We had to meet the bus at the kids' school to leave @ 6 a.m. We left Stephen & Joshua with Gramma @ our house & boy, is it a good thing we did! It was a full day! Rachel competed in 3 competitions, same as at regionals: ecology, crave the wave, & pentathalon. There were 48 schools from around the state competing that day. Our school came in 28th overall which isn't the greatest but yet the fact that we were even at the state level competition was a big deal. Rachel ended up placing 16th, 19th, & 24th (I think). So no medals this time. However, there were 2 competitions that our school did medal in which is not too bad for our first showing. Overall, it was a lot of fun & a great experience for us all! They're talking about changes to the program that would allow up to 5 9th graders to come back & compete next year & Rachel piped right up & said to count her in for that.
Speaking of Rachel, next Thursday (June 4th) is her 8th grade graduation! They make quite a big deal out of it at this school which I am not used to but can rather understand. Most schools the kids will all be together for the following years in high school. Not so with the charter schools. The kids are all from many different school districts & will now be scattered next year as they enter high school. It is rather tough when you realize some of these kids have been together for the last 9 years. You are all invited if you would like to come!
Well, I think that is enough to start with. I hope to get back on later today to tell you about Rachel & my trip to DC a couple of weeks ago. Right now, though, laundry is calling!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
So proud, we might bust
Our children have us so proud of them that we could just about bust. This is the real reason I wanted to blog but figured I better give the other post as an update first.
Stephen & Joshua are both on YMCA basketball leagues again this 8-week session. They are both improving with leaps & bounds. It is really amazing to watch their progress from week to week. Who knows, maybe in the future, March Madness will have a greater meaning for all of us.
As for Rachel, all of the 8th graders at the school have spent the last 8 weeks studying different subjects for the regional Science Olympiad. Only 15 of them make the final team but all students are required to study & help build projects & attend the day of the competition. Rachel was sure that she wouldn't be competing but would just be there as a helper/coach for the day. The teacher has access to previous years tests for certain categories. By giving those & seeing their building skills, he chooses the 15 for the team & there is also criteria that has to be followed such as each person competing in at least 2 categories & also time schedules to consider. Well, when all was said & done, Rachel was chosen for 3 competitions: ecology, crave the wave, & a pentathalon. The first 2 are tests that she took with one other teammate. The last was her working with a team of 3 others to do 5 different activities that included both physical challenges as well as answering science questions.
The regional competition was last Saturday at Grand Valley State University. There were a total of 55 junior high/middle schools competing. Rachel did excellent! She came in with an 8th place (ecology), 11th place (crave the wave), and 17th place (pentathalon). Turns out that they give medals to the 8th place so she even came home with a medal.
Since this was our first time at the Science Olympiad, we didn't realize that the top 10 schools overall are then invited to go to the state competition. When we found that out it didn't seem too exciting because our school had only gotten 4 medals and most of them were around 7th or 8th place. We had only 1 first place. To everyone's amazement, including the coach/teacher, our school came in 10th place! The school is officially invited to send a team to the state competition! This is the first time in our school's 10 year history to have that honor! WOW! To have Rachel go from not even thinking that she would make the competing team to now having a medal & a chance to compete on a state level. It is really exciting! Science isn't even one of Rachel's major areas of interest but she applied herself anyway & now has great memories/honors to be proud of.
Of course, this means another 6 weeks of hard study, as the state competition is on May 2nd at MSU in East Lansing. The other thing is that her study time will have to be after school & not during science class now as they will be moving on to other areas of study & she'll have regular classwork to do in there as well as keeping up with all her other course work.
So, it should be pretty clear why Mark & I are so proud of these kids we have been blessed with. Now, I have something else to tell you that I am also rather proud of before I sign off of this post. My husband has lost 60# & 10 inches off his waist since last September. He has been logging everything he eats so he is watching his calories & eating much healthier. He also works out 5-6 days a week. We are currently participating in a challenge through the Y that keeps us motivated in our working out. Mark even goes mall walking during his lunch hours on days that he knows he won't be able to go to the Y in the evening. He still has a long way to go but he knows he didn't get this way overnight so it isn't coming off overnight either. Also, the way he is doing it is a lifestyle that the whole family can live with instead of a fad that no one can stick with for their entire life. I am really proud of all he is doing to keep himself around for our family as long as possible. We know this is no guarantee but it should help to ward off problems with his heart, diabetes, & all those other problems that arise with being overweight.
Well, I guess that is about it for now. I have to go make lunches for residents & do some cleaning before I get a resident up for work in a little while. I have been reading this while typing it, but if any of it doesn't quite make sense, remember what time I am doing this at=)
Stephen & Joshua are both on YMCA basketball leagues again this 8-week session. They are both improving with leaps & bounds. It is really amazing to watch their progress from week to week. Who knows, maybe in the future, March Madness will have a greater meaning for all of us.
As for Rachel, all of the 8th graders at the school have spent the last 8 weeks studying different subjects for the regional Science Olympiad. Only 15 of them make the final team but all students are required to study & help build projects & attend the day of the competition. Rachel was sure that she wouldn't be competing but would just be there as a helper/coach for the day. The teacher has access to previous years tests for certain categories. By giving those & seeing their building skills, he chooses the 15 for the team & there is also criteria that has to be followed such as each person competing in at least 2 categories & also time schedules to consider. Well, when all was said & done, Rachel was chosen for 3 competitions: ecology, crave the wave, & a pentathalon. The first 2 are tests that she took with one other teammate. The last was her working with a team of 3 others to do 5 different activities that included both physical challenges as well as answering science questions.
The regional competition was last Saturday at Grand Valley State University. There were a total of 55 junior high/middle schools competing. Rachel did excellent! She came in with an 8th place (ecology), 11th place (crave the wave), and 17th place (pentathalon). Turns out that they give medals to the 8th place so she even came home with a medal.
Since this was our first time at the Science Olympiad, we didn't realize that the top 10 schools overall are then invited to go to the state competition. When we found that out it didn't seem too exciting because our school had only gotten 4 medals and most of them were around 7th or 8th place. We had only 1 first place. To everyone's amazement, including the coach/teacher, our school came in 10th place! The school is officially invited to send a team to the state competition! This is the first time in our school's 10 year history to have that honor! WOW! To have Rachel go from not even thinking that she would make the competing team to now having a medal & a chance to compete on a state level. It is really exciting! Science isn't even one of Rachel's major areas of interest but she applied herself anyway & now has great memories/honors to be proud of.
Of course, this means another 6 weeks of hard study, as the state competition is on May 2nd at MSU in East Lansing. The other thing is that her study time will have to be after school & not during science class now as they will be moving on to other areas of study & she'll have regular classwork to do in there as well as keeping up with all her other course work.
So, it should be pretty clear why Mark & I are so proud of these kids we have been blessed with. Now, I have something else to tell you that I am also rather proud of before I sign off of this post. My husband has lost 60# & 10 inches off his waist since last September. He has been logging everything he eats so he is watching his calories & eating much healthier. He also works out 5-6 days a week. We are currently participating in a challenge through the Y that keeps us motivated in our working out. Mark even goes mall walking during his lunch hours on days that he knows he won't be able to go to the Y in the evening. He still has a long way to go but he knows he didn't get this way overnight so it isn't coming off overnight either. Also, the way he is doing it is a lifestyle that the whole family can live with instead of a fad that no one can stick with for their entire life. I am really proud of all he is doing to keep himself around for our family as long as possible. We know this is no guarantee but it should help to ward off problems with his heart, diabetes, & all those other problems that arise with being overweight.
Well, I guess that is about it for now. I have to go make lunches for residents & do some cleaning before I get a resident up for work in a little while. I have been reading this while typing it, but if any of it doesn't quite make sense, remember what time I am doing this at=)
First week of March
So it has been awhile again since I have blogged & we have some updating to do. That first week of March was really a stressful week. I went Sunday to Alpena (after getting some sleep since I worked Saturday night). I was able to be there for Mom's shoulder surgery which went rather well. She was a bit disappointed when she woke up & had a sling on her arm because she knew that meant that the dr. had done some work on the rotator cuff which meant longer recovery time. I then came home to GR on Tuesday in time to pick up the kids from school. Tuesday's are always hectic in the evenings & this was no exception.
While in Alpena, we learned that Pauline Joder had passed away. It was tough on Mom to know that she couldn't travel for the funeral. You could tell by the look on her face, she was trying to figure if she could handle it or how to work around not being able to drive. I told her that I would make arrangements to go to the visitation at least which was Wednesday (funeral was Thursday). Since the children had 1/2 day on Thur & Parent/Teacher Conferences, I knew that the funeral would not work out at all. My husband was concerned with my doing more travelling by myself, so he took the day off & we travelled to Fort Wayne together on Wednesday. It was rather nice having a day to spend together. The Joders were all very thankful that we came. They kept calling me "Melanie-Pooh". I did pretty good at recognizing everyone except for calling Holly, Cheryl (her mom's name). It was a pleasant visit considering the circumstances.
One thing I hadn't considered in my planning to attend the visitation, was the amount of fresh flowers, particularly roses, that would be in that small of an area. These are becoming my worst migraine triggers. The minute I walked in the room, I could feel one coming on. (I haven't even been at church for a couple of months because of renovations that are creating migraines.) I wasn't about to just say "hello, sorry she's gone" and walk out again when it had been so long since I had seen them and we had driven 3 hours to get there. So I was extremely miserable by the time we left there which made it a very good thing that Mark had come with me so he could drive home.
The other news of the week was that we also had a resident pass away that week. His visitation & funeral lined right up with Pauline's. Mark & I considered going to the visitation on the way home from Fort Wayne but I was in no shape to expose myself to more flowers. Actually, by the time we got back almost to GR, my chest felt heavy & tight. This really bothered Mark so we went to the ER to have it checked out. We were there till 2AM to have them tell us everything was fine. There was no signs of any heart problems or blood clots (they looked for these since I had been travelling so much that week.). I have also had a stress test since then & it pretty much confirmed that it was probably just the major migraine that caused the problem.
Then on Thurs, the kids had a 1/2 day due to parent teacher conferences at school & then they had no school on Friday. So that was how we started March. I ended up calling in to work on Tues. & Wed. that week but now everything is back to just the normal stress of everyday living. More to blog but will make it a separate post.
While in Alpena, we learned that Pauline Joder had passed away. It was tough on Mom to know that she couldn't travel for the funeral. You could tell by the look on her face, she was trying to figure if she could handle it or how to work around not being able to drive. I told her that I would make arrangements to go to the visitation at least which was Wednesday (funeral was Thursday). Since the children had 1/2 day on Thur & Parent/Teacher Conferences, I knew that the funeral would not work out at all. My husband was concerned with my doing more travelling by myself, so he took the day off & we travelled to Fort Wayne together on Wednesday. It was rather nice having a day to spend together. The Joders were all very thankful that we came. They kept calling me "Melanie-Pooh". I did pretty good at recognizing everyone except for calling Holly, Cheryl (her mom's name). It was a pleasant visit considering the circumstances.
One thing I hadn't considered in my planning to attend the visitation, was the amount of fresh flowers, particularly roses, that would be in that small of an area. These are becoming my worst migraine triggers. The minute I walked in the room, I could feel one coming on. (I haven't even been at church for a couple of months because of renovations that are creating migraines.) I wasn't about to just say "hello, sorry she's gone" and walk out again when it had been so long since I had seen them and we had driven 3 hours to get there. So I was extremely miserable by the time we left there which made it a very good thing that Mark had come with me so he could drive home.
The other news of the week was that we also had a resident pass away that week. His visitation & funeral lined right up with Pauline's. Mark & I considered going to the visitation on the way home from Fort Wayne but I was in no shape to expose myself to more flowers. Actually, by the time we got back almost to GR, my chest felt heavy & tight. This really bothered Mark so we went to the ER to have it checked out. We were there till 2AM to have them tell us everything was fine. There was no signs of any heart problems or blood clots (they looked for these since I had been travelling so much that week.). I have also had a stress test since then & it pretty much confirmed that it was probably just the major migraine that caused the problem.
Then on Thurs, the kids had a 1/2 day due to parent teacher conferences at school & then they had no school on Friday. So that was how we started March. I ended up calling in to work on Tues. & Wed. that week but now everything is back to just the normal stress of everyday living. More to blog but will make it a separate post.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Nothing to blog about...
Dad's wondering if I have had nothing to blog about this month & that why I haven't posted. Not at all. Actually we have been so busy that I hardly know where to start as well as haven't had the time & energy to blog. I'll try not to be too boring as I catch you up.
Stephen took his turn being sick a couple of days this month. Then Mark had to get in on the act. Although instead of being sick, he decided on something different. One Sunday afternoon about 3 weeks ago, Mark tripped in our bedroom. He put his hand out to catch himself & did on our closet door. His middle finger on his left hand really hurt after he did it but we just thought it a little jammed because he could still move it. By Monday, it was swollen to almost twice the size it should be and his range of motion was limited. So he spent 3 hours that evening at the med center & came home wearing a 1/2 cast most of the way up to his elbow. They told him is was broke. He followed up with his dr. on Thursday that week only to be told it "might" not be broke but to keep wearing the cast. He then had to have it re-xrayed 10-14 days after the incident. He did that and called Monday to find out the results. They now tell him that there is a sliver of bone lodged next to the knuckle. So, evidently, he somehow chipped the bone. He was now told he has to wear this 1/2 cast for 4 weeks. He isn't really thrilled with that thought. The swelling is down but he still doesn't have much movement & it really hurts when it gets bumped.
The most exciting part of the month was that Rachel performed in the middle school musical that she has been practicing for since late October. She was the jester in "Once Upon a Mattress". It was a very extensive role & she did a wonderful job. The whole production was wonderful! We were really impressed with Rachel. She had several special parts & did great in both the singing & choreography as well as speaking parts. She looked great in a dress that Mom made for her.
We didn't tell Rachel but we had invited some special friends over to our house for a post-production party at our house. We ended up with 6 people coming to congratulate Rachel on a great job on her performance. It was a rather fun time.
I am currently unable to attend our church. That's why I have time to blog right now. The rest of the family is at the Wednesday evening programs. The church has been having some renovations done to turn a room in the basement to more of a mini-auditorium. They did lots of things including adding sound-proofing, painting, and new carpets. I did fine while they were tearing things out but when they started putting new things in, I started having problems with the odors. I am getting much more sensitive to odors & they give me worse migraines. I am having problems in other places as well but currently church is the worse place. Both Sunday & tonight I went & tried to stay but couldn't handle it for long. Hopefully, the weather will get nice soon so they can open up the church more & get it aired out.
I have still been working 32-40hours a week on third shift. I really enjoy the work. The residents are all so special & it's not hard to get really attached to them. Currently we have one from our house in the hospital. His family is spending every day with him but since he is unable to communicate verbally, Harbor House is providing an aide for him every night. Last night, I spent 10 hours with him so his family could go home & get some rest. It is a special part of the services that HH offers & I was happy to minister to the family this way. The update this afternoon said that Jason may have to have surgery tomorrow or soon due to a bowel obstruction. He also is dealing with pneumonia. The family appreciates all prayers for him.
The kids are all doing well at school. We have parent/teacher conferences again next week. I don't expect any problems. Rachel & Stephen both made honor roll for the second quarter of the year. Joshua is still struggling in a few areas but nothing major. His biggest struggle is with remembering to bring homework home & return it the following day.
Grand Rapids is at 104 inches of snow for the season. Just another 3 inches and we will have the second snowest season on record. What's interesting is that we just set that record yesterday. HHHMMM...2 years of record setting snowfall...someone explain to me again about global warming! My husband isn't complaining though because it makes his
Stephen took his turn being sick a couple of days this month. Then Mark had to get in on the act. Although instead of being sick, he decided on something different. One Sunday afternoon about 3 weeks ago, Mark tripped in our bedroom. He put his hand out to catch himself & did on our closet door. His middle finger on his left hand really hurt after he did it but we just thought it a little jammed because he could still move it. By Monday, it was swollen to almost twice the size it should be and his range of motion was limited. So he spent 3 hours that evening at the med center & came home wearing a 1/2 cast most of the way up to his elbow. They told him is was broke. He followed up with his dr. on Thursday that week only to be told it "might" not be broke but to keep wearing the cast. He then had to have it re-xrayed 10-14 days after the incident. He did that and called Monday to find out the results. They now tell him that there is a sliver of bone lodged next to the knuckle. So, evidently, he somehow chipped the bone. He was now told he has to wear this 1/2 cast for 4 weeks. He isn't really thrilled with that thought. The swelling is down but he still doesn't have much movement & it really hurts when it gets bumped.
The most exciting part of the month was that Rachel performed in the middle school musical that she has been practicing for since late October. She was the jester in "Once Upon a Mattress". It was a very extensive role & she did a wonderful job. The whole production was wonderful! We were really impressed with Rachel. She had several special parts & did great in both the singing & choreography as well as speaking parts. She looked great in a dress that Mom made for her.
We didn't tell Rachel but we had invited some special friends over to our house for a post-production party at our house. We ended up with 6 people coming to congratulate Rachel on a great job on her performance. It was a rather fun time.
I am currently unable to attend our church. That's why I have time to blog right now. The rest of the family is at the Wednesday evening programs. The church has been having some renovations done to turn a room in the basement to more of a mini-auditorium. They did lots of things including adding sound-proofing, painting, and new carpets. I did fine while they were tearing things out but when they started putting new things in, I started having problems with the odors. I am getting much more sensitive to odors & they give me worse migraines. I am having problems in other places as well but currently church is the worse place. Both Sunday & tonight I went & tried to stay but couldn't handle it for long. Hopefully, the weather will get nice soon so they can open up the church more & get it aired out.
I have still been working 32-40hours a week on third shift. I really enjoy the work. The residents are all so special & it's not hard to get really attached to them. Currently we have one from our house in the hospital. His family is spending every day with him but since he is unable to communicate verbally, Harbor House is providing an aide for him every night. Last night, I spent 10 hours with him so his family could go home & get some rest. It is a special part of the services that HH offers & I was happy to minister to the family this way. The update this afternoon said that Jason may have to have surgery tomorrow or soon due to a bowel obstruction. He also is dealing with pneumonia. The family appreciates all prayers for him.
The kids are all doing well at school. We have parent/teacher conferences again next week. I don't expect any problems. Rachel & Stephen both made honor roll for the second quarter of the year. Joshua is still struggling in a few areas but nothing major. His biggest struggle is with remembering to bring homework home & return it the following day.
Grand Rapids is at 104 inches of snow for the season. Just another 3 inches and we will have the second snowest season on record. What's interesting is that we just set that record yesterday. HHHMMM...2 years of record setting snowfall...someone explain to me again about global warming! My husband isn't complaining though because it makes his
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hanging in there...
I'm busy as usual. Kids are taking turns with minor bugs getting them down for a few days here & there. Joshua started it with a strange virus that gave him stomach cramps & loose stools for 5 days. Now that he is better, Rachel is down. She had cramps & an upset stomach over the weekend. Then starting Monday afternoon, she has had problems with headaches, earaches, & dizziness. I don't know if she'll make it to school yet tomorrow. I really hope so. So far Stephen, as well as Mark & I, are fine & we hope to keep it that way. I'm just really tired from working 3rd shift & not sleeping well during the days because of dealing with sick kids & other appointments.
I guess appointments is where you would say that Stephen is keeping my hopping. He developed very red, dry skin on both hands most of the way to his elbows back in October. By Thanksgiving, I decided he needed to be seen. The dr. gave us some cream which helped for a while but then it got rather bad again . It was miserable to look at. When the cream Rx ran out, I called the dr. back & said that I either wanted a different Rx or a referral to a dermitologist. I got the referral & less than a week later we were in to see a dermitologist specializing in psoriasis & ezema. Stephen now goes for special light treatments 2x per week. Fortunately, we are able to go in after school & don't even have to have an appointment.
2 weeks & counting for Rachel's musical performance! On Feb. 10th she will be the minstrel in the middle school production of "Once Upon a Mattress". I have to make another lute for them to use. Fortunately, I thought they might need a second one so I kept all the leftover pieces from the first to use toward a second one if needed. I still haven't figured out how to make it have a strap attached to it to wear it like a guitar. Mom has made her a beautiful costume though it has some kinks I have to work out yet too.
The weather has finally settled down a bit. We were getting hit with a good amount of snow every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. Then it went completely frigid for most of a week. Now, we haven't had more than just a few flakes here & there for over a week & we are just barely below normal for temps. The snow machine is supposed to start up here again. According to tonights 8 day forecast, we are supposed to get at least some every day for the next week. They did have one 32 degree forecast in there!
I don't remember if I put this in the blog yet or not but I'M GOING TO WASHINGTON D.C. in May! After school started up again after the holidays, it came to light that I had made it to the top of the waiting list of chaperones & a seat became available. We leave GR late in the afternoon on May 12, sleep on the bus overnight. Then we are in DC for the 13th, 14th, most of the 15th. We return to GR early on May 16th sleeping on the bus coming home as well. I figure I won't have a problem sleeping on the bus since this body can now sleep most anywhere at anytime when it is tired. Rachel may not be as fortunate in that category but then again, she's going to be so excited it will probably keep her from sleeping too. I have already got the time off approved from work & am saving up my PTO so that I will still get a paycheck while I am gone.
We have also been busy researching area high schools. We really don't want Rachel going to GR Public next year. At least not the neighborhood one that she is supposed to go to. We are looking at outlying districts to do as a school of choice. It is nice that 3 charter schools just held a HS fair where lots of area schools, public & private, had tables & you could talk over the pros & cons of each with representatives. This was the first year they held it & it was rather interesting. We think we know which school we would prefer she go to, now it is a matter of prayer to see if God wants her there. She is also going to do a "shadow day" with a girl she knows in that school to get a feel for the school. That will have to wait till after she is better & the musical is over though. We are going to attend a few more meetings & possible tour some other schools just to make sure we are taking a fair look at all the options.
Can't think of much else to write about right now. I don't want to get into the car struggles we've had lately. That is a bit of a downer. Just a constant matter of prayer.
I guess appointments is where you would say that Stephen is keeping my hopping. He developed very red, dry skin on both hands most of the way to his elbows back in October. By Thanksgiving, I decided he needed to be seen. The dr. gave us some cream which helped for a while but then it got rather bad again . It was miserable to look at. When the cream Rx ran out, I called the dr. back & said that I either wanted a different Rx or a referral to a dermitologist. I got the referral & less than a week later we were in to see a dermitologist specializing in psoriasis & ezema. Stephen now goes for special light treatments 2x per week. Fortunately, we are able to go in after school & don't even have to have an appointment.
2 weeks & counting for Rachel's musical performance! On Feb. 10th she will be the minstrel in the middle school production of "Once Upon a Mattress". I have to make another lute for them to use. Fortunately, I thought they might need a second one so I kept all the leftover pieces from the first to use toward a second one if needed. I still haven't figured out how to make it have a strap attached to it to wear it like a guitar. Mom has made her a beautiful costume though it has some kinks I have to work out yet too.
The weather has finally settled down a bit. We were getting hit with a good amount of snow every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. Then it went completely frigid for most of a week. Now, we haven't had more than just a few flakes here & there for over a week & we are just barely below normal for temps. The snow machine is supposed to start up here again. According to tonights 8 day forecast, we are supposed to get at least some every day for the next week. They did have one 32 degree forecast in there!
I don't remember if I put this in the blog yet or not but I'M GOING TO WASHINGTON D.C. in May! After school started up again after the holidays, it came to light that I had made it to the top of the waiting list of chaperones & a seat became available. We leave GR late in the afternoon on May 12, sleep on the bus overnight. Then we are in DC for the 13th, 14th, most of the 15th. We return to GR early on May 16th sleeping on the bus coming home as well. I figure I won't have a problem sleeping on the bus since this body can now sleep most anywhere at anytime when it is tired. Rachel may not be as fortunate in that category but then again, she's going to be so excited it will probably keep her from sleeping too. I have already got the time off approved from work & am saving up my PTO so that I will still get a paycheck while I am gone.
We have also been busy researching area high schools. We really don't want Rachel going to GR Public next year. At least not the neighborhood one that she is supposed to go to. We are looking at outlying districts to do as a school of choice. It is nice that 3 charter schools just held a HS fair where lots of area schools, public & private, had tables & you could talk over the pros & cons of each with representatives. This was the first year they held it & it was rather interesting. We think we know which school we would prefer she go to, now it is a matter of prayer to see if God wants her there. She is also going to do a "shadow day" with a girl she knows in that school to get a feel for the school. That will have to wait till after she is better & the musical is over though. We are going to attend a few more meetings & possible tour some other schools just to make sure we are taking a fair look at all the options.
Can't think of much else to write about right now. I don't want to get into the car struggles we've had lately. That is a bit of a downer. Just a constant matter of prayer.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Blogging from work...
I have a laptop with me at work tonight & was able to get it connected to the internet here so I can actually blog here tonight. The laptop belongs to the guy that Mark does accounting work on the side for. What is strange is that other times I have had it here, I haven't been able to get the wireless connection to work but tonight it does.
We are all doing just fine. All of us are doing well at getting back into the routine now that the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. The way the kids were intentionally irritating each other, it is a good thing that school is back up and running. Some of the area kids had an extra day or two on the end of their holiday break as well as starting the break early. Fortunately, that wasn't ours. It was really time for mine to get away from each other again.
The weather has been rather crazy this winter. We have already been "snowed in" more this winter than we are on most. We actually missed church 3 weeks in a row. It was cancelled complete the Sunday before Christmas. The week between the holidays was only morning worship, it was cold, & we decided we wanted some more family time. Then last week we weren't about to chance the ice even though it was open. If you've seen the slope to our road & saw the glare of ice it was, you'd understand. I came home from work & knew I wasn't venturing out again. We did make it to evening service since it had warmed up enough to melt the ice some. Their talking a winter storm watch to start this afternoon through tomorrow morning then artic temps for most of the rest of the week. That means inside recesses, oh fun! At least Joshua spent some time outside this weekend both shoveling with Mark & just for fun, playing with a neighbor boy.
Well, about time to go. I have some laundry to fold & cleaning to do before I get a resident up shortly after 5 a.m. We should have the computer for the next 2 weeks so I hope to bring it so I can blog more during that time.
We are all doing just fine. All of us are doing well at getting back into the routine now that the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. The way the kids were intentionally irritating each other, it is a good thing that school is back up and running. Some of the area kids had an extra day or two on the end of their holiday break as well as starting the break early. Fortunately, that wasn't ours. It was really time for mine to get away from each other again.
The weather has been rather crazy this winter. We have already been "snowed in" more this winter than we are on most. We actually missed church 3 weeks in a row. It was cancelled complete the Sunday before Christmas. The week between the holidays was only morning worship, it was cold, & we decided we wanted some more family time. Then last week we weren't about to chance the ice even though it was open. If you've seen the slope to our road & saw the glare of ice it was, you'd understand. I came home from work & knew I wasn't venturing out again. We did make it to evening service since it had warmed up enough to melt the ice some. Their talking a winter storm watch to start this afternoon through tomorrow morning then artic temps for most of the rest of the week. That means inside recesses, oh fun! At least Joshua spent some time outside this weekend both shoveling with Mark & just for fun, playing with a neighbor boy.
Well, about time to go. I have some laundry to fold & cleaning to do before I get a resident up shortly after 5 a.m. We should have the computer for the next 2 weeks so I hope to bring it so I can blog more during that time.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Holidays are over...
The holidays are done & we have enjoyed them in a nice quiet ways. Mom was here to visit from Dec. 17-22. Then Mark's mom came on 12/24 till 12/27. Other than that, it has been just our little family. I have had to work off & on throughout the holidays, including Christmas Eve but Mark has had some extra time off.
I actually started off the new year very sore. On my way into work on 12/30, I took quite a spill on some ice in the parking lot. I guess that's what I get for actually parking where I'm supposed to instead of up by the house, where I sometimes do. I went down on my back hitting back, shoulder, & head all just slightly to my right side instead of smack center. I went in & actually worked my shift after dosing up good on ibuprofen. I reported the fall before I left work then decided I better get checked out before the holiday & the weekend. The dr. put me on some weight restrictions but did clear me to work. He said that it mostly looked like muscular bruising & nothing skeletal. Since then, I haven't had to work but go back tonight. The most painful area has been my neck but even it is coming along rather well this morning. Not a fun way to finish a year or start a new one but it could have been worse.
The kids go back to school on Monday. They got an extra day of vacation as they had a snow day on Dec. 19. The teachers were evidently really hoping for the snow day as most of them starting talking about it on Wed. that week & most of them did they fun party type activities on Thurs. I don't know what they would have done if the snow hadn't come.
We were late getting our Christmas decorations out but I think we'll try to get them down before the kids return to school. The schedule will be hectic again in just a few days so better to do it while I have the help.
Well, Rachel is wanting the computer & there is plenty waiting to get done around here. Hope you all had great holidays!
I actually started off the new year very sore. On my way into work on 12/30, I took quite a spill on some ice in the parking lot. I guess that's what I get for actually parking where I'm supposed to instead of up by the house, where I sometimes do. I went down on my back hitting back, shoulder, & head all just slightly to my right side instead of smack center. I went in & actually worked my shift after dosing up good on ibuprofen. I reported the fall before I left work then decided I better get checked out before the holiday & the weekend. The dr. put me on some weight restrictions but did clear me to work. He said that it mostly looked like muscular bruising & nothing skeletal. Since then, I haven't had to work but go back tonight. The most painful area has been my neck but even it is coming along rather well this morning. Not a fun way to finish a year or start a new one but it could have been worse.
The kids go back to school on Monday. They got an extra day of vacation as they had a snow day on Dec. 19. The teachers were evidently really hoping for the snow day as most of them starting talking about it on Wed. that week & most of them did they fun party type activities on Thurs. I don't know what they would have done if the snow hadn't come.
We were late getting our Christmas decorations out but I think we'll try to get them down before the kids return to school. The schedule will be hectic again in just a few days so better to do it while I have the help.
Well, Rachel is wanting the computer & there is plenty waiting to get done around here. Hope you all had great holidays!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Busy with Snow, Snow, and More Snow
Hi! This is Rachel (for once).
We have had a very busy past week. On last Sunday, the boys had their CHRISTmas play @ church. On Monday, my musical practice was canceled because of the snow. (Thats 1). Mom, Dad, and the boys had to still go to the last puppet practice before the performace. On Tuesday, I had to deliver the Advance newspaper, go to an appointment, and then finish delivering while everyone else went to the Y for Joshua's swimming lesson. Wednesday was the usual bussiness only Grandma Joyce was here too now. We had the puppet performace for the Awana kids. I taped it with the heavy camera above my head. That hurt. But we did have a little time to celabrate Mom's 40th birthday. Thursday was our band concert, but Dad had to go the Y for basketball practice. Friday we woke up to find that we had a snow day. (Thats 2). I was also supose to have my birthday party, but no one could make it. But Mom and Dad took just me and we went and saw the movie The Boy With The Striped Pajamas. That was sad. Then we went to Denney's for dinner, then to Cold Stone for ice cream, and then to Blockbuster to rent videos. When we got home, Mom went to work, everyone else went to bed, and I stayed up and watch movies. Then yesterday, (my 14th birthday) we had to go to the school because Stephen had 2 basketball games. Then all of us went to Cold Stone. After that Mom, Dad, and Grandma went to a banquet leaving me to babysitt my brothers. Not a fun birthday. Today, we got up and got ready for church. JUST before Mom got home from work and Dad got home from going to Lowes to pick up the snow blower that we bought yesterday, we got an e-mail saying that church was closed. (And thats 3). The reason I was saying thats 1,2,3 was because there has been three things canceled because of SNOW. We are getting dumped on and its not supose to stop until AFTER CHRISTmas. Grandma is supose to go home tomorrow. That might not happen. Well maybe now that church is closed we can finally get out the CHRISTmas decortions out, along with the tree. Well I have got to go.
We have had a very busy past week. On last Sunday, the boys had their CHRISTmas play @ church. On Monday, my musical practice was canceled because of the snow. (Thats 1). Mom, Dad, and the boys had to still go to the last puppet practice before the performace. On Tuesday, I had to deliver the Advance newspaper, go to an appointment, and then finish delivering while everyone else went to the Y for Joshua's swimming lesson. Wednesday was the usual bussiness only Grandma Joyce was here too now. We had the puppet performace for the Awana kids. I taped it with the heavy camera above my head. That hurt. But we did have a little time to celabrate Mom's 40th birthday. Thursday was our band concert, but Dad had to go the Y for basketball practice. Friday we woke up to find that we had a snow day. (Thats 2). I was also supose to have my birthday party, but no one could make it. But Mom and Dad took just me and we went and saw the movie The Boy With The Striped Pajamas. That was sad. Then we went to Denney's for dinner, then to Cold Stone for ice cream, and then to Blockbuster to rent videos. When we got home, Mom went to work, everyone else went to bed, and I stayed up and watch movies. Then yesterday, (my 14th birthday) we had to go to the school because Stephen had 2 basketball games. Then all of us went to Cold Stone. After that Mom, Dad, and Grandma went to a banquet leaving me to babysitt my brothers. Not a fun birthday. Today, we got up and got ready for church. JUST before Mom got home from work and Dad got home from going to Lowes to pick up the snow blower that we bought yesterday, we got an e-mail saying that church was closed. (And thats 3). The reason I was saying thats 1,2,3 was because there has been three things canceled because of SNOW. We are getting dumped on and its not supose to stop until AFTER CHRISTmas. Grandma is supose to go home tomorrow. That might not happen. Well maybe now that church is closed we can finally get out the CHRISTmas decortions out, along with the tree. Well I have got to go.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Survived Tuesday
and that was rather "iffy" for a while. Here was yesterday's itinerary: After getting about 5 1/2 hours sleep, I picked up Stephen, Joshua, & Sarah (neighbor girl) from school @ 3:15. I actually made sure I was there when they got out so we could get everything accomplished. Rachel stayed at school for musical practice. The boys had a quick snack & then we had to deliver the Advance Newspaper that we do once a week. The fact that it was cold out made it easy to motivate them to keep up a quick pace so they had time for hot cocoa. We did have approx. 15 minutes after we arrived home for us to enjoy a cup while the boys worked on homework. It was then back in the car to run out to the school to pick Rachel up from practice. The kids & I swung by a Little Ceasar's to pick up their hot & ready pizzas for dinner. As soon as Mark arrived home we had approx. 20 minutes to eat dinner. Then I dropped Mark & Rachel off at the school. Mark had a parent committee meeting at 6:30 & Rachel had to be there by 6:45 for Parent Awareness Night. The boys & I proceeded to the Y where Joshua had swimming lessons from 7-7:45. After a quick shower, we headed back to the school. Parent Awareness Night continued till 8:30 so Mark & I had a few minutes to go around and see some presentations that the kids had prepared on issues that teens are having to deal with such as alcohol abuse, cutting, suicide, teen pregnancy, & more. It was all very interesting. (Rachel did hers on teen pregnancy.) I did have about 1/2 to sit & rest after the kids finally got to bed before I had to go to work. So that was our Tuesday! Most of the time, life isn't quite that hectic but it does seem as the kids are getting older that they are happening a little more often.
Other than that, Mark has been struggling with a cold for 2 weeks now. We haven't been at the Y as much because it is hard to work out when you can't breathe. As you may have noticed, Joshua is now in swimming lessons. Stephen is now signed up for a Y basketball league. The practices are on Thurs evenings. This is also keeping Mark busy as he is the coach of the team. The first night of practice there was no coach so Mark stepped up to coach so they wouldn't cancel the team. They had the first game last Saturday & they lost. Also, Mark & I are now directors for the puppet team at church & we have a performance coming up on Dec. 20. Our church is changing the curriculum we use for Discipleship Hour so since we are both working in that program, we have extra things going on. There's definitely always something going on here.
Other than that, Mark has been struggling with a cold for 2 weeks now. We haven't been at the Y as much because it is hard to work out when you can't breathe. As you may have noticed, Joshua is now in swimming lessons. Stephen is now signed up for a Y basketball league. The practices are on Thurs evenings. This is also keeping Mark busy as he is the coach of the team. The first night of practice there was no coach so Mark stepped up to coach so they wouldn't cancel the team. They had the first game last Saturday & they lost. Also, Mark & I are now directors for the puppet team at church & we have a performance coming up on Dec. 20. Our church is changing the curriculum we use for Discipleship Hour so since we are both working in that program, we have extra things going on. There's definitely always something going on here.
Friday, November 07, 2008
$2.22/gal
That's what I last paid for gas! It only took $18 to fill up my little Prizm! Prices have fallen more since then, as low as $1.96/gal in an outlying area called Plainwell according to the news. It is down 1/2 of what we had been paying. I wish it would stay this way but I would lay money on the fact that it will probably be back over $3 by the time everyone starts travelling for Thanksgiving.
Well, the first marking period is over for the kids & they all did very well. Rachel made the TCB Club & probably both her & Stephen will be on the Honor Roll. Joshua had a bit of an incident on the playground the other day but otherwise is doing very well too. We had parent/teacher conferences earlier this week so Mark & I spent Wed. afternoon going from teacher to teacher around the gym which is where the middle school teachers are all set up. Having 2 in middle school, there were only 3 teachers that didn't have at least one of our students. Some of them actually have both.
All three are a bit disappointed in the election outcome but it was interesting to see them get involved with all the discussions. Rachel's history teacher held a debate where 4 students were designated as the candidates & had to research their stand on questions the rest of the class had researched to ask them. The teacher said this really brought Rachel out of her shell to the point they think she will either be a reporter or a lawyer. Rachel, of course, was armed with a lot of the information that we had received via email concerning some questionable stands of Obama.
Other info, we are most disappointed in our last washing machine. We bought it less than 5 years ago & went with a Maytag thinking reputable namebrand. Well, it is dead. At first, we thought it was just the timer but when the repair man listened to it they said it would be over $350 to fix because it needed an entire motor & probably the timer too. So we have had to go washer shopping. So much for a laptop for a while. I've actually had to be taking all the clothes to the laundry mat for several weeks. That gets really tiring really quickly, not to mention getting very expensive.
Mark is going to Lake Ann Camp tonight for a Camp Captain's retreat. He took the day off today so he can leave for up there earlier than getting out of work. I think it actually starts around 6. So this morning he is volunteering to help with "centers" in Rachel's Language Arts class. He then meets with the guy he has been doing accounting on the side for and then it is down to his office to get his flu shot before he can leave town. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon though.
He also took off Monday & Tuesday because the kids are off of school on those days. The plan is to get lots of cleaning done during those days. With everyone here, working together, hopefully we can get some cleaning & organizing done that has been put off way to long. There are a few other things on the agenda for those days too such as visiting a high school that we hope might be good for Rachel to try to get in to next year but cleaning is highest on the list.
Well, the first marking period is over for the kids & they all did very well. Rachel made the TCB Club & probably both her & Stephen will be on the Honor Roll. Joshua had a bit of an incident on the playground the other day but otherwise is doing very well too. We had parent/teacher conferences earlier this week so Mark & I spent Wed. afternoon going from teacher to teacher around the gym which is where the middle school teachers are all set up. Having 2 in middle school, there were only 3 teachers that didn't have at least one of our students. Some of them actually have both.
All three are a bit disappointed in the election outcome but it was interesting to see them get involved with all the discussions. Rachel's history teacher held a debate where 4 students were designated as the candidates & had to research their stand on questions the rest of the class had researched to ask them. The teacher said this really brought Rachel out of her shell to the point they think she will either be a reporter or a lawyer. Rachel, of course, was armed with a lot of the information that we had received via email concerning some questionable stands of Obama.
Other info, we are most disappointed in our last washing machine. We bought it less than 5 years ago & went with a Maytag thinking reputable namebrand. Well, it is dead. At first, we thought it was just the timer but when the repair man listened to it they said it would be over $350 to fix because it needed an entire motor & probably the timer too. So we have had to go washer shopping. So much for a laptop for a while. I've actually had to be taking all the clothes to the laundry mat for several weeks. That gets really tiring really quickly, not to mention getting very expensive.
Mark is going to Lake Ann Camp tonight for a Camp Captain's retreat. He took the day off today so he can leave for up there earlier than getting out of work. I think it actually starts around 6. So this morning he is volunteering to help with "centers" in Rachel's Language Arts class. He then meets with the guy he has been doing accounting on the side for and then it is down to his office to get his flu shot before he can leave town. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon though.
He also took off Monday & Tuesday because the kids are off of school on those days. The plan is to get lots of cleaning done during those days. With everyone here, working together, hopefully we can get some cleaning & organizing done that has been put off way to long. There are a few other things on the agenda for those days too such as visiting a high school that we hope might be good for Rachel to try to get in to next year but cleaning is highest on the list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
