Wait? I have a blog?

I almost forgot!!! Life got in the way for a while, okay, for a LONG time. It's the last day of 2010. SO many new things will be happening in 2011!
-Chandler will be driving. On. His. Own. OMG. I remember thinking just a few years ago how FAR away that is. It's here. 2 months.
-Bailey will have her permit. WAIT! How is THAT possible?? She is all gung ho to take drivers ed and I just can't quite believe she could be 15.\
-Ryan is still happy as a clam. Hopefully this is the year he is potty trained. He will be 4 in July, so before then would be nice. But I am SO not holding my breathe.....
-I may have a new job. Or 2. I have several things up in the air. One of the needs to be the right fit for me to do it. Will I go out on my own? Will I buy the business I have my eye on? Will I stay where I am? Will I go full time? So many questions.
-Hopefully 2011 is better for Aaron, at least health wise. He has gotten every bug out there this fall/winter.

My new years resolution? Other than to lose another 20 lbs is to blog more. And take more pictures. :)

Oh yeah....I know I am cute.

The cutest little John Deere Tractor I have EVER seen!!

Homecoming 2010

Been a crazy month of back to school, school starting, Bailey is sports, Chandler trying to keep up with a huge amound of homework and Ryan in tumbling.

Shew. I was tired just typing that. Add into that several home repairs that were emergent and some we haven't even dealt with, that is my excuse for a month with no post.

Oh the list I have to do.....

We had much planned for this weekend. Lots of stuff around the house to do. Outside chores, inside chores, getting kids ready for school, even a little fun in the sun.
Then stop.
Aaron's cold lingers. Now we are on day 2 with NOTHING done. Can you say frustrating? Oh...and yes, I have a cold to. But I am not in bed for hours per day, there is work to be done.
So, perhaps I will get something accomplished today. But I am not holding my breathe.

Oh School...where ARE you?

I am ready. Ready to send these kids back to school. No more lazy bones just chilling around the house complaining when I ask them to do something. No more, "I'm bored....."

One week from today, reality will smack these kids straight up side the head. Welcome back dear kids....welcome back.

Week 1 of vacation over....on to week 2

Wedding weekend was fun. HOT, busy but fun. The kids did great, traveling went okay (well, until the way home, but by then we were all sick of each other) and the bride and groom were married and got off on their honeymoon. Here are some pictures of my kiddos. Yes...Bailey and Chandler are ALL grown up and Ryan is a ladies man.

New Age.....

Well...almost. This week I turn the big 39. I have been dreading it as much as the big 40. I made the grand statement I would not be around next year for my birthday as I will be on a tropical island when I turn 40. So my dad, who is so full of the awesome, decided to get me good this year. This little gem turned up last night. NICE.....

Week 3 on Weight Watchers and 9 lbs gone so far. I tried on pants today and they FIT!! WOOHOO!

Random Musings

Well, week one on weight watchers and I think so far so good. We will see if I did a good job of tracking my points. Ryan has gotten better about going for a walk in the stroller as long as a park stop is on the agenda. I can't wait until my foot surgery so that I can walk long distances with no pain. Right now about a mile or so is my limit.
The big kids have been gone for a week and it has been SO quiet, but a nice quiet. Soon the wedding will be upon us and then sports start and then school. Back to reality.
I am hoping to book myself a trip to LA this fall/winter. Just me, by myself. I need a break badly. I have friends I would like to see and an Aunt who I hopes wants to see more of me....LOL!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Our little man is THREE!! How did that happen??!! Lots of fun with family on his birthday day and the big bouncy house party is coming up this weekend!

A weekend of fun

We spend about 24 hours in IA - but we sure packed some fun in!! Waterpark at our hotel and a small town parade with a proud great grandpa pulling several great grandchildren in the trailer behind his tractor. The kids had so much fun he pulled them not only in the parade, but the 4 miles to the farm as well.
Lucky kids!!

Swimming

Well, Ryan has passed his first set of swimming lessons. I will post pictures when we get back this weekend. He had a pretty good first day, then the next 2 were challenging, but he ended up having a great last day and passed with flying colors. He is also really starting to use the potty more and more. We aren't forcing him, but just asking him often. He really likes using pullups but doesn't mind diapers. All we do here though is, "I can do it ALL BY MYSELF." Oh boy. ;)
We are off to the waterpark hotel today and to visit Aaron's grandpa tomorrow. Let the month or so of weekend trips commence!!

It's gonna be a crazy few weeks....

I probably won't have much time to post in the next few weeks as we will be making lots of weekend trips and have something everynight for WEEKS.
Ryan starts swimming lessons this week, we are taking him to his first baseball (semi pro) game with friends on Wednesday then we leave for a weekend, have family in town, leave for another weekend, well...you get the point.

Schools out for the summer!! Kind of......

Finally....school is over. No more car pool to 3 different places. Now I just have to go to the high school and take Ryan to daycare. Wait....I JUST have to go the high school. How on EARTH did I get to be that old?! 2 kids in high school. WOW.
Bailey starts her High School prep course on Tuesday, so that means she is kind of out of school. Chandler heads to drum line camp starting on Monday, so he gets to go back to school right away too. But only 2 days a week.
I am getting excited for Aaron and I to get to go to Chicago in July. We need just US time. Life gets a little crazy here and we don't get to take much time off.

Like a moth to the flame burned by the fire.....

Only randomn 80's song I could come up with to describe my life lately. I am BURNED out. I have been frustrated at work lately, but nothing I couldn't handle....but I can see the signs of burn out everyday now. Social workers have a really high burnout rate. I think that I am PT and do the the work of a FT social worker in those 3 days means I will burn out faster than average. Did you know social workers are some of the lowest paid workers with some of the highest stress jobs? I do!
I am reasearching a few options for my life. Taking the summer off from work and focus on having fun fun fun with the kids this summer and then looking for something this fall. Perhaps heading back to school with the intent of changing careers and looking at going to Law School when Ryan is older.
Or, perhaps my luck will change and I will get the job I applied for today. It is a long shot, but what I don't have in education (like a Masters), I do have in life experience. Not going to spill TOO much until I get an interview call, but I sent off the resume today via email and already got a call saying thanks for applying, we will be calling to set up interviews in a weeks time. We shall see.

Not quite a swingset...

But it's a start. We have lots of leveling to do in the back yet, so we put up a swing for Ryan to play on back there. It is coming together very nicely. We have lots more landscaping to do....but it is doable.
It's been a fun and packed Memorial Day weekend...but it is back to reality tomorrow!

Nope, couldn't have done it

I hereby announce that I could have NEVER made it growing up on a farm. I remember hearing my cousins talk about going to pick rock and I thought, "Sheesh...picking rock? That couldn't be THAT bad!" Well, now that I have done it for the last 2 hours and have a couple more to go....NO WAY! I would have rather paid someone to do this. Between the picking rock and my hay allergy, I never would have made it out of farm land alive.

Thank God I'm a city girl..............

Alas....the final product

I don't know if I will have it in me to plant at all anymore this summer....15 plants in the front and 5 more pots in the back. Thankfully I was smart and planted mostly perenials in the front so I won't have to do much next year.

As promised....

A real update!
We have so much work going on at our house. Our front landscaping is getting, we just need to dig in the next batch of flowers and fill it in some. The workers were here to put in our patio yesterday. Just waiting for the concrete to be poured now. Hopefully that will happen on Monday. Today was just too rainy and it is going to snow tonight. SNOW...did you read that right, oh yes you did. Sigh...

We have been running around like crazy people at our house for so many weeks, but we finally have slowed down a little. Chandler is struggling with his math and he needs to spend time with the after school tutoring program. But you can't be there AND at baseball at the same time. So for me it was an easy choice. Math wins, everytime. For him, not so much. He wanted to do both, but realized he needed to work harder to get his grade up. So, we aren't running like crazy people between his not playing baseball and Bailey's leg injury. Both of them also get to be kids again, going to friends and other ball games etc.

Ryan has been keeping us busy still. His new thing is streaking. He likes to take his clothes off all by himself and then suprise me when I find him nekke. Going to be an interesting summer....LOL! We were struggling with sleep for quite a while again, but we tried an earlier bed time last night and he seemed to be better with that. We will continue to see what works.

I have alot on my plate too, but just enough to keep me busy, but not frantic.

Pictures coming of all the updated work around the house.......

I may not be blogging, but I have been digging!!!

We expanded our little garden out front by ohhh...about 8 feet...LOL! Lots of planting to do, but it is a start. Will do a more in depth post on Friday. Lots to talk about!

Only one more day

Until Aaron gets home. PRAISE THE LORD! I really didn't appreciate how much help he is when he is around. Man...I am tired. Ryan usually just has a throw down hissy fit at night when his daddy isn't there for bath and I spend the next hour trying to get him down. I am glad Aaron got some time away though. He deserves it.
Today Grandma is coming to save the day and take Ryan for the day. I am going to get a massage, do some shopping and take a nap...LOL!

Daddy's going on vacation....

Without US! It's okay though. He deserves it. He is going to Vegas with the boys for a "conference". Uh huh. Sure.......... :)

We will have lots of fun times here just me and the kids. Then after he gets back, momma's heading out of town for the weekend in a few weeks. All depends on Bailey though.....

If you remember....Bailey hurt her leg long jumping at track practice. They told us to wait to go to sports med until the swelling went down. Well...it hasn't. So off we went yesterday. Sigh....Torn ACL. Looking at surgery and 6-8 months rehab. YUCK!! She sure is a tropper though. I did tell her perhaps sports isn't her thing....maybe Glee Club??!!

Ryan and I are having a great day at home. I love it when he is in a great mood. He is definatly moving out of the terrible twos and hopefully they will be the tremendous 3's.

Hard to believe in a few months I will 2 in high school. Sheesh..........

So, how do I feel about IT?

That seems to be the question of the day...week, or maybe even this month. We have been very open about our adoption of Ryan, to the point of being interviewed by the local paper after he arrived home. So...it was no surprise when they came calling again after the latest scandal. Too bad I was so sick I couldn't be interviewed.
So...how DO I feel about it?

• This woman knew exactly what she was doing when she put that child on the plane. She was trying to cause an international incident in order to change "the system."
• Was he out of control? Perhaps. She was not equipped to handle him and that is okay. There is no fault in admitting that. But...she was already "shopping" for another baby from another country using another agency, not disclosing she had already adopted this child.
• When something smells fishy......usually it stinks.
• So, you ask, what would happen if Ryan got "out of control" when he was older. We would exhaust every resource and last dollar we had to help him. We are the parents of these 3 children...we don't quit.
• I do have an opinion on one thing...SHE SHOULD HAVE CALLED HER AGENCY FIRST! This woman potentially set adoptions from Russia back to the drawing board for many parents equipped to handle a child that had difficult needs.

So...that is where I stand on this. But the bigger question of the day is:

Why in the world while I am listening to "Lady Gaga Radio" on Pandora, does a Daughtry song come on. Really now.......

Dancing FOOL

I decided I needed a night out with my besties, so off we went to the new Wicked Moose (which is the old Aquarius aka the fish tank). The name of the band playing was "Brat Pack Radio".
UMMMM.....80s heaven I must say! I danced for 4 hours last night. I can barely walk today, but OMG...SO much fun.
We are going to go see them in the cities this spring. If you love 80's music and get a chance to see them....GO!

When it rains......

H O L Y C RA P!
Could this week have gotten anymore brutal? Ahhh...started out with Chandler still feeling like crap, so I took him on on Monday when I got home from work and he was in the exact same spot I left him in that morning. "Have you eaten? No. Have you moved? No..it hurts too much." So we call in for an appointment to the doc. Nope...sorry, straight to ER for you. Whatev.
Wait...really cute eye candy doctor taking care of us. Okay..so I digress. Chandler has pneumonia. Great. Antibiotics it is.
All of a sudden I feel like the cold from you know where is coming on. Oh...and it just so happens to be the night my hired help...errr...husband is out of town visiting a friend. Oy Vey. They the next day, Ryan bites the dust. So...Friday, off to see the doctor (albeit not the hot one in the ER) for us to get diagnosed with pneumonia. Okay then...so antibiotics it is.
BUT WAIT......Friday. Get a call from Bailey. She tore up her knee doing the long jump at track. After 5:30p....nothing open to see her other than the ER. So off we go. And just guess who I get to see again...hotty mchotterson. :) We joked we would have to quit meeting like this. Oh he is so young and cute...sigh.
Bailey is fine. Shew....knee brace it is, but she will live to jump again.
SOOOO.....next day, my mom is over, asks me what I know about a pulmonary embolism. GULP. What??? So I tell her. So, she tells me, "Well, when I called in the nurse thought I should call an ambulance and go in right away...". So instead she goes to church and ends up on my couch asking me about it. OMG. Can you say sign the POA papers now...sheesh. So, it is off to the ER again. Really, he and I have to quit meeting like that....LOL! Again...she is fine. They can't figure out what it is. I think I know, but won't speculate here.
On top of it all, because of being so sick, we missed 2 birthday parties and have just been bums. We also found out a close family friends mom died, so we will be going up to support them.
So yes...it does pour. But we are always looking for the silver lining in the clouds.
So is it bad I am hoping for an ER trip soon???....LOL....kidding...really...I am.

Attack of the Fuzz

Sigh...it all started with a tensy wensy bit of dog hair in the bath tub after Max dog had a bath one night. Ryan saw it and LOST it. Like climbed up Aaron all soapy and naked screaming bloody murder. NO FUZZ he says. We took it out of the tub.
Now this child sees fuzz everywhere.
Tonight he got a cup of juice..."I no drink it...there's fuzz in there."
In the juice? Yep...I assured him there was no fuzz in the juice...changed cups even. Yep...fuzz in the next one.
So considering the child is deathly afraid of anything fuzzy, I am pretty sure Disney is out for a while..................

Hot Hot HOT!

Your dose of cuteness for the week....first things first.....

Blech...it is HOT in our house. Yep, that is a complaint about the weather. Well, perhaps, more about my spouse who says "I don't care if it is 82 outside and in the house...we are NOT turning on the air for 2 hours". Sigh...so yes, it feels wonderful to have this great weather, but I remember why I love air in the summer....LOL!

I sure have gotten lots done this week, but today the other shoe feel. I got the dreaded cold. Oh lucky me. :) Oh well, it will be better soon right?

I have decided to try swimming to get this pesky weight off. I am going to try and go each night after Ryan goes down. Only time I will be able to get there I think.

Can you hear me?

Even feel like NO one is listening? I feel like I can talk and talk and no one bothers to listen at all. For example, tonight on our walk, I told Aaron at least 3 times to put Ryan in the stroller as we left the park. He just continues walking like he didn't hear me. I tried to INSIST that he go in the stroller.
I had seen a rather large German Shepard ahead across the street not on a leash and the owner was talking to the neighbor and not watching her dog. I could see something brewing with this dog as Max was with us. Pretty soon, sure as can be we have this HUGE dog running up to jump on Ryan as Max is trying to get him and Aaron is so busy holding onto the leash that I had to jump in front of Ryan and try and grab him. Apparently every dog is a kind dog to Ryan.
All turned out well as I was able to get in front of Ryan, the owner ran across the street to grab her dog as it was snarling at us and Max just saw he was outsized and smartly walked away.
Sure would have been nice if someone would have listened to me........

Sping Cleaning for Sure!!

It is time to dig out of this mess of a house! We kind of stockpiled stuff all winter like chipmunks and it is getting cleaned out in the next 2 weeks. I took the kids spring break off, and even though we aren't going anywhere, we will emerge much lighter and healthier.
Ryan just keeps growing faster and faster. We are going to buy him a new booster seat today as it has been harder and harder to buckle him in, even expanding the straps. Too bad as it is a Britax and I kind of expected more. Aaron will get that one, my parents his old one and Ryan will be riding in style in my car...LOL!
Bailey finished her first week of track practice and really likes it. Between her track and Chandler's baseball, I suspect we will be doing alot of running this spring.
Chandler does start baseball tomorrow, also has his student of the month breakfast on Thursday and continues working...oh...and driving. ALL THE TIME...LOL! My days are filled with "Mom, don't we need to drive to the...."!
We are also looking into joining a health club as a family, kids and all. Perhaps that will enable ALL of us to get healthier as I know Chandler will want to go, and I will have to drive him...her I mean have him drive me...LOL!
Spring is here....HURRAY!!

And now who is in the drivers seat??!!

That would be my 15 year old who now is the proud owner of a learners permit. SHEW!! Talk about a weight lifted off the shoulders!! I even survived my first experience in in the car with him.

I need a jumpstart!

So my working out plan is going okay....on my days off. I am still not getting ANY time to work out when Aaron is home, unless we go for a walk. I suppose I need to start insisting that I get 1/2 hour to my self (at least).
I do need a jumpstart on the weight loss though. I tried the Alli. Not working...well, maybe working, but even eating a low fat diet I just can't tolorate the side effects. Yeah...you don't want to know.

I was thinking about donating a kidney and then asking them to liposuction about 20 lbs away while they were in there....but I suppose they won't do that. I know...lame attempt at humor, but just THINK about all the middle age women that would donate if they did that. I know I would be IN! :)

Sooo...any great ideas readers? I am getting desperate as I have an event this summer and I want to be 20 or so lbs less. I am even thinking weight watchers could be an option. Maybe if I pay, I will be more likely to play by those rules? You would think that would work with the gym...not so much.

In other news...Chandler retakes his permit test today. We studied for 3 days and got him some flash cards on his itouch for review. Let's hope it works. If he doesn't pass this time, we pay. Grrrrr.

Week 1

How am I doing you ask? I am okay.
Eating pretty well (minus the pizza I had for lunch at a birthday party). The exercise thing is hard to fit in when all I do is clean, cook, watch Ryan, etc. Walking at night needs to happen more, now that the snow is ALMOST gone, it will be easier. Ryan loves to go for walks. I just need to do more walking, less trying to get him to walk...LOL!
Today we are helping Bailey move her room around. It looks nice...BIGGER and cleaner too. Bet it won't stay that way for long!

It's SPRING!

Well, almost spring. But the snow is melting, it is over 32 deg. more often than below 32 deg. The weather is holding and my spirits are lifting. Ryan is loving his puddle jumping boots and wearing them often.
So...yes, I am crabby. Have you noticed? My family sure has. It is time for a change. I went shopping for some spring clothes and almost died when I went to try them on. I am up a size. NOT GOOD. I have been slowly putting on weight over the winter. Well today, I decided to try the 20 minute 300 calorie treadmill burn. Umm..I lasted 5 minutes until I had to get off due to being afraid of falling off. I did get on the stationary bike and ride, but even then I got tired.

SO...today starts it. I am done.
DONE

• being fat
• being an emotional eater
• having an excuse for not exercising
• eating fast food for lunch because it is easy
• needing to buy bigger clothes
• hearing that the reason my back hurts is that I am the heaviest I have ever been.

SO...today

• I bought myalli...starting on Friday, I will take it 3 times a day and hopefully it will give me the start I need.
• I start making sure what we have in the house is healthy
• we start exercising outside as a family
• I tell myself BEFORE I do what I want (tv, shop, etc), I will do what I NEED (exercise, meditate, stretch)

Today my attitude changes. It is me that is crabby.....I am making these kids crabby. NO MORE!!!

I am over the terrible 2's and the terrible teens

How on earth is one supposed to stay sane with the terrible 2's? AND add the 2 teenagers, moody, surly and just plain lazy. My oldest complains how crabby I am all the time, and my answer to that is.....IT'S NOT ME...IT's YOU! Not that I have told him that, but sheesh...really, gimme a break.
These terrible twos have GOTS to go. I know it is a struggle for independence, but really, must EVERYTHING be fight? Even over froot loops? Oy vey...out of all the years, this is the one I really needed the vacation the most. But nope...none for me.

99 Things to Do before you Die...

Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

10 or so ways to tell I am getting OLD

1. My oldest gets his drivers permit in 2 weeks. I was NOT a child bride. I was WELL into my 20's when he was born. I just doesn't seem possible.
2. I went to buy replacement make up today and ended up walking out with what I term "old people" makeup. It is the wrinkle protector, anti aging serum crud. GREAT.............but I guess my face looks and feels some better.
3. I am having to try really hard to lose weight. I used to eat salads for a few weeks, hit the gym 4 days a week and it would come off. Not happening. The fat is just settling in weird places. I don't like this.
4. I hurt. Like, my skin hurts when Ryan is standing on me. My knees ache, my shoulders are sore, I could get a massage weekly and probably still not feel better.
5. I CAN'T TOLERATE ONE MORE DAY OF WINTER. I am finding a vacation for just me quick. I am over this weather.
6. I can't catch my 2 year old. I am sure he is very talented and very fast, but c'mon.
7. The bar I used to go dancing at is closing tonight. My friend and I are going to the last bash blast, but I suspect I may not be able to stay out much past 12 without yawning.
8. I actually volunteered to be the sober driver. WHAT?? Only cuz I know I can't deal with a hangover AT ALL.
9. Coldwater Creek is my new favorite store.
10. I have to color my hair every 6 weeks and even that is stretch.

So....Yes...I Am Old. I give up.

Is it spring yet?

I need spring. I need warmth. I need NO MORE SNOW. I am done with this winter. The one winter where I am not taking a vacation to someplace warm. I just can't stand it any longer. Doesn't help that I am on a diet. I started off too strong and got really hungry and tired. I am going to watch what I eat and exercise. Tomorrow is my last day at work for the week and I am excited. Thursday and Friday AM I am going to the gym. YAY! Been since November since I have been there. I am looking forward to warm weather so that I can walk outside with Ryan and Aaron. I miss our walks.

Ramblings

Oy Vey. Where to start. Today is my daughters last day of 13. 13 wasn't such a fun age, but it is much better towards the end than it was in the beginning. She is looking forward to her birthday. After sorting through her clothes with her, I realized the sheer amount of clothing she has. It is insane. Yet, often she wears the same clothes over and over. So she is home today (no school due to the weather) sorting her clothes. Seriously...she has 13 sweatshirts.

Chandler is doing pretty well keeping his homework up to date and turned in and also studying. Although he needs lots of reminding.....which can often bring out the worst in both of us. I am trying to find study tips for this kid to make his high school life easier. Last pep band was supposed to be tonight but it is cancelled. Boo! We have LOVED going to all the games and watching the band play and also the games.

Ryan is doing great in his big boy bed. He is getting out of it so we are now going to have to get a baby gate to lock him in at night. I am afraid he will get into something or fall down the stairs.

I work full time this week and then full time next week then I am DONE. I just can't do this to my family anymore. Aaron is struggling to get any of his work done because I literally get up at 6:00a and work, then come home, cook, do laundry, clean, help with kids, or have something and Aaron gets stuck with Ryan duty. Too much. All of us will be happier with me back PT. Well...I may be home full time if I get a crappy review...LOL...but that is a whole other post. (Let's just say I have not enjoyed my job lately).

Oh well..................

A Lesson Learned

I am hoping that my kids take things out of mistakes that they make. Chandler had every reason to fight his F in ceramics. When it came right down to it, his case was worsened by the fact he didn't turn in ALL his assignments. So.....the F stands. I truly hope he has learned his lesson and turns in ALL his papers/assignements from now on. He truly is the most disorganized kid EVER. Today we are making a calendar of papers due/quizs/tests for Feb and March so he can prepare.

Unreasonable People

Ever just have to deal with unreasonable people? Chandler has an unreasonable teacher who just decided he was a bad kid and failed him. All his other grades were b's and c's. There was an "incident" in this class that Chandler was on the fringe of and he got no credit for anything he turned in after that. Want to venture a guess what class it is??? (Sorry to my artsy friends for any inference that this may imply).
Ceramics. She even had the nerve to tell him he was "no good at making pots". I thought art was supposed to be subjective!
After her refusing to speak to Chandler at all and ignoring my emails, I finally took it to the administration. Enough. Do you realize how much time and energy we have wasted on this? As Chandler said..."What a welcome to high school."

Gonna take a while to recover

from that Vikings game. I think I gave myself an ulcer during the 4th quarter. Man that loss was TOUGH to swallow. Why do I ever let myself get excited!!??

Another crazy week of stuff most nights. Is this just the way it is with teenagers or am I unusually busy? It's not like they are in lessons for everything.

Is it possible to give yourself a timeout??

This past week was supposed to be my "recover" week from the week before and having several things each night to be at or do. Well...it started off great with an awesome Vikings win on Sunday, but after that...it was downhill from there.

Monday my mom ended up in the ER with chest pains. Lots of tests were run and all was looking okay, so they just had her stay overnight for a stress test in the AM. The stress test was started and during the middle of it, they stopped it and told her there was something wrong and she needed to have an angiogram. CRAP. It all ended up being good, but it was very stressful while it was going on. She still can't figure out why she is having chest pain however. That is next on their list so they have cancelled their month long vacation.

Wednesday for supper we got take out from Panera. Aaron's spinach on his sandwich looked kind of funky, but he just took it off and ate the rest of the sandwich. Can you say food poisoning?? I have NEVER seen anyone as sick as he was. 9 lbs lost in 2 days. It was bad.

So yesterday our microwave decided to blow up. Yes you read that right. It blew. Scorched the countertops and the wall. Let me tell you, those magic sponges DO take out everything. It was time for new countertops anyhow, but the smoke smell is really hard to get out. We are wondering if we need to call our insurance company.

Today is the Vikings game....SKOL Vikings! I am so nervous that this is going to go badly. It would be so awesome to go to the Superbowl! I am just a little infatuated with Mr. Grey Hair himself (Brett) so I just can't wait.

This week is another week of something most every night again. Can I give myself a timeout from all of this??

Only 4 more weeks of full time.................

Busy Week

We have had something EVERY night this week. It ended with us going to watch Chandler in pep band at a basketball game. It was his first time playing at a game and as you can see he is playing the snare. Thats my boy.............
He is a busy kid with school, drivers ed and now pep band. He gets to school at 7:30a and today he got HOME from school at 9:30p. Now THATS a long day.
Ryan's having a good time too as you can see. :)

Starting anew

This week starts MANY things for me.

• My new adoption job. I have my first seminar on Tuesday. Am I ready? I think so. Do I think anyone will come? No. Not one person has signed up. I haven't put up alot of posters, but I thought maybe one person would be there. Oh well...there is always March.
• Working full time. I am working 3 days at my current job and 2 at our other facility. Nothing like 2 Mondays a week. I hope I will do fine up there, a different entity for sure.
• Exercise. Blech. I have been BEGGING Aaron to get our basement cleaned up so I can use the bike. It is a mess of his boxes down there. I can't complain too hard as those boxes ship out the merchandise he sells that is currently paying most of our bills. BUT....it would be nice to be able to use my bike for at least 20 minutes a night.
• 3 weeks of Chandler in drivers ed. How did this happen? When did I tell him he could grow up?

I probably won't be blogging much between working full time plus another job plus 3 kids. Just send me a note of encouragment once in a while...LOL!

As I sat in her room

As death approaches, I felt the lonliness she has been feeling for a LONG time. It was in her heart. No matter how much we told her, she still longed for more and couldn't figure out where to find it.
I found it today sitting in her room. It was overwhelming. The fear I had for me as death came had me wracked with sobs, but then I felt it. HIM. HE was there. For her...for me. I don't know as I will ever forget it. The sadness of life leaving, yet the calm of just knowing it will be okay.

This has been a hell of a week. State surveyors breathing down our neck, making our lives miserable. I was spared most of it, until today. When I went to sit with a resident as she was in her final hours, I was hoping for some quiet. I didn't get it. But what I got was so much more.

Sometimes I wonder why I picked long term care social work for my profession. Today, I get it.