OMG

I have a little hidden obsession with the reality show Dancing with the Stars. I do not rearrange my schedule to watch but if I am not available I do record it on my DVR and watch as soon as I can. Well tonight, I along with many others across the nation, were shocked at the results. It seems that little miss Cheetah Girl, Sabrina Bryant, was eliminated. She looked so scared as they started announcing who was safe and who was in the bottom two. You could practically see her shaking. She was a contender from day one and last night was her last dance. It was likely her worst dance, not a good way to end it. I feel sorry for her but was impressed with her professionalism and her ability to hold it together with grace. The boys will be mad, we had voted for her a couple of weeks but not last night. Was it our fault? I won't blame myself but I do feel for her. Hopefully this exposure will help her continue to climb the ladder of success.

Oh yeah, and the boys went trick or treating tonight and we had company. My pal Vicki and he daughter Megan joined us. We had a fun time and have plenty of candy for the time being. We were out longer than I had planned but not by much. The weather was quite bearable and the company was good. The boys have Halloween Parties at school tomorrow. They'll come home plenty wired I'm sure. Gotta love a cupcake high!

The way it all went down

OK, so here is my trip report backwards. I uploaded these photos and could not get them to go the other direction. We headed to IN on Friday around lunch. I drove with a migraine until I had to pull over and take a 30 minute nap, then we got into IL to drive through rain all the way across the state. No one coordinated potty breaks very well and since it was raining the wet dog smell was tough to avoid in the enclosed car. The good news... We Made It!

Friday we visited for just a few minutes with mom and dad then crashed. Saturday I ran a couple of errands, the boys went to sell raffle tickets with my dad and my wonderful mom gave my dog a haircut! Around lunch Joan, Mike, Natalie and Landry came over to hang and eat tasty grilled cheese. We hung out, I got another birthday present! and tried to keep the princess entertained. All of the sudden it was time to go to the main event, Tyler's Eagle Ceremony. The camp was super busy but we found a place to park and headed in. The ceremony was really nice, we saw lots of people we hadn't seen in a long time and we had Papa John's Pizza for dinner. I was a happy camper for sure!

After Tyler's event the boys ran around for a bit then we parted ways. We got lost going to my sister's but made it in time to hang out a bit before getting down to business. This was not strictly a social event. We had 1000 envelopes to stuff. Well, we got 995 done before we ran short on one item. Close enough in my book! We then headed back to mom and dad's to crash. The boys of course weren't too tired but I managed to send them to bed around 10 Iowa time.

Morning came way too soon. We were up and the boys spent some time playing with the puppies while I got ready for my day and loaded the car. We headed out a little before 10 to meet up with the in-laws for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. After a too quick meal we headed west, destination HOME.

The drive was pretty uneventful. We made three stops at McDonald's, don't ask, and did a little better with bathroom breaks. We drove about 500 miles in 7 hours and 45 minutes. The breaks were short and the roads were dry. This was a good trip.




This was the view I had waited for all day! Heading west through Iowa I got to enjoy the sunset and my music as the boys munched on McDonald's "one more time" and one last time this weekend.






This wonderful lady set my kids up for Halloween. Candy, coins and Spiderman folders! She always has treats for us. This time we got cereal and Mac N Cheese. I love it when she does my grocery shopping. I men that with complete sincerity.







We met the Culp, party of three, at Cracker Barrel for breakfast before heading back to IA. While we were waiting to be seated Mary received a VERY exciting phone call. It seems that little miss Megan had won a story writing contest sponsored by the Logansport Pharos Tribune! Her mom was practically glowing with pride! Other BIG Culp news is Matt's move to the day shift at SIA. I don't think it is called that anymore, but you get the idea. He has worked second shift forever. This will be a big adjustment for everyone in the house. Good luck guys! PS Mary, I am seriously interested in getting that CVS song. If you ever get the chance to download it for your phone system send it my way. PPS, Matt, Denise is taking care of my Aspen Mulling Spices. She is headed this way in less than two weeks and knows exactly where to get them. Let's just pray they carry them this year!












Will's favorite part of the trip was seeing Tango's puppies! They have cute "dance" related names like: Salsa, Samba, Twister (the twist), Big and Little Bertha and ???. All VERY sweet even when they pee in your lap, right Will?








A definite bonus to going to Indy was seeing this cutie! My first nephew Landry.

The reason for our trip stands above, the handsome blond in uniform. Congrats on your accomplishment Tyler and kudos to mom Denise too! Love you both. The boys really enjoyed spending time with Tyler after the ceremony. They ran around like hooligans at Camp Belzer and have the dirty clothes to prove it. They are pretty pumped that our friends will be heading west to IA in less than two weeks to see us. It will be a short visit but I am quite certain that we will pack it with FUN!

On the move...

Got you thinking didn't I? You thought I was going to announce my new address didn't you? Well, not so fast people! We are just moving east this weekend for some time with family and friends who are just like family.

The boys and the dog and I are on our way to IN tomorrow around noon. I plan to go to work for the fun part of my day, that would be UNO at the nursing home and taking S to work. Once I get that taken care of I will go pick up my own kids, then the dog and head outta dodge.

I am hopeful that we will have an uneventful trip to and from with lots of mellow fun while we are there. The boys are excited to see cousins, grandparents and their god-brother while we are there. I am looking forward to the 36 hours between the two eight hour days of driving.

Fred is crazy busy at work so he will be busy busy busy here while we are away. Hopefully our being gone will give him less to be distracted by. He was super busy last weekend since I was attending my bus class all day Saturday. He should get a little break from us this weekend. It seems fair. He may try to get a couple of projects done around the house. I really have no expectations beyond him doing the laundry so we all have clean underwear for Monday. I know he can handle that!

Speaking of the bus class... I received in the mail today a certificate suitable for framing. I can not imagine who might actually do that, but I found it helpful that they marked where I could fold the paper so that I can frame it to wow all my peers. I suppose I'd be willing to show that bus driver certification off as soon as I get paid as a bus driver. Until then, back into the manila envelope it goes.

OK I am worn out! I can not wait till I get a good nights rest again. Will came in way early this morning and Fred has been sleeping poorly all week. His tossing and turning leads me to do the same. I'll be glad when his to do list is shorter and he is not so stressed. That leads to bad night for him. Poor guy needs a break, oh and I do to! I am off to see if I can get to sleep before him, maybe if I am deep enough into REM he won't bother me. Here's hoping!

Tuesday 10

I have seen some other bloggers do list of 10 things on Tuesday. They are really random list of 10 things, so here goes mine...

10 things I could make for dinner (but won't tonight)
1. Tacos
2. Chicken Enchiladas
3. Spaghetti
4. Homemade Chicken strips
5. Peanut Chicken
6. Teriyaki Chicken
7. Pork Tenderloin in the crock pot
8. French Toast
9. Hamburgers
10. Homemade Pizza

Off to cook?????

We might get our money's worth?

Here are some photos of the boys playing in their Halloween costumes. They have their homework done, ate their yummy dinner (thanks mom!) and even had homemade cookies for dessert. Instead of just getting their PJ's on they got their PJ's and costumes on. I am laughing out loud because their mock Star Wars battle is driving the dog absolutely crazy. You would think that there were real special effects and everything. Best $ spent on costumes to date!

Sorry, it's been a few days...

I have very good reason for not writing in a few days. Thursday was kinda hectic after school as I needed to prep the house for the sitter. I had to go to the first 1/3rd of my Bus Class that night. Thankfully the boys were in good hands with Sara and I could concentrate on the task at hand. I was concerned about how applicable the class would be for me since I am not running a "real" route, before and after school. Well, thankfully or maybe not, I had plenty to learn and felt the time fly by. 4 hours later I headed home with my head swimming. It seems that I was not very well prepared for my bus job and I learned way more than I should have in this class. The good news is that this class is required and the bad news is that it is required. Friday was a weird day at school and I invited some of the girls over to celebrate completing the week but everyone scattered so no commiserating, I mean celebrating, was done. It all worked out though. I needed to get some stuff together for my monthly scrap night.

Fred got home a little after 6 and I left a little before 7. I got 5 pages done, well, no journaling but the layouts are pretty well complete. Yeah! I had fun chatting with the girls in the group too. A good way to end the week.

Saturday morning came way too early. I had to get up at my usual 6:39 to be out the door by 7:30. I was quiet enough not to wake the boys and I headed back for the next 2/3rds of my bus class. It ran from 8-4 with a working lunch. I continued to learn plenty and although my butt got tired of sitting it was well worth my time. I have a laundry list of stuff I learned, concerns I have and expectation for improvement by me and the transportation people. I have to figure out how to share the information most effectively but that is going to have to wait a few days while I calm down and contemplate.

Today was great so far. We laid low this morning waking up in shifts and we were all dressed and out the door around 12:00 to go to Ames. I kinda kept putting off Halloween costume plans and realized we only had 9 days left until the big night. Nic has decided to recycle his costume from last year, he is a Jedi I think, and Will is going to be Obi Wan Kenobi. Fred was shocked by the price of costumes, just why I kept putting off buying them. Well, we have two new light sabers, one new costume and two happy boys. Yeah!

I am baking a pumpkin pie, my second of the season. Fred is home all week so I thought I'd make something he'll enjoy working through with Nic. They are the pie guys around here. I am going to go do some ironing for the 45 mins it has left to bake. Tis the season for long sleeved shirts that need ironed. Gosh I miss the $1.50 dry cleaner in MI.

Another day...

Well as Wednesday comes to a close I again can be thankful for SOOO much.

First and foremost, my mom called tonight and I recognized her voice and that made me feel so loved. She is still recuperating for an unknown illness, blood tests should tell more tomorrow, and she loves me and took the time and energy to call me. I am so blessed.

Second and nearly as important, Will and I made a deal that involved "trying" and it worked and he is not in pain tonight. Amen!

Third, my DH called and shared that he bought me a gift. He loves me and that makes me smile even when he is a few states away. It was a silly gift bought out of guilt, not to me, but to the lady who reeled him into her kiosk, but it is thoughtful and sincere and something that I have wanted to try, as I too was intrigued by a lady at a kiosk once, but could never bring myself to buy. Sweet sweet DH.

Fourth, but not least, my godson was traveling to spend the weekend with his dad tonight. He had to fly through Midway out of Indy. His flight was delayed and he got to Midway late and basically missed the last flight to his ultimate destination. Well, the boy talked to the gate agent who called the pilot who turned the plane around and returned to the terminal to get him on board. AMAZING I tell you! His mother's worst fear, her son stranded in an airport overnight, was about to be realized, but it wasn't and he will safely get to his dad tonight.

I need to go and tidy up my house for the sitter who will be spending the evening with the boys tomorrow. I must attend my DOT/DoE Bus Driver Education Class tomorrow night and Saturday. I know you will all be waiting with baited breath to hear all about what I have learned. I asked the bus barn lady if I needed to take anything with me to class to show I was registered or anything, she said, "Nope, just No Doze." Well, I think that says it all. Good night!

OMG (poop talk, be warned!)

How did this day go from good to rough to bad? It started out pretty normal. No one wanted to get up this morning but that is the usual around here. I got to school to normalcy with the exception that K was sick. This is good and bad at the same time. Bad for her but good for me. I got to go home early today since I didn't have to take her to work this afternoon. Instead I came home to pay bills, start laundry and putz till I needed to pick up the boys from school.

The boys had decent days from what I can tell but Will was pretty bothered by a pain in his gut. Well, he didn't use the porta-john on his field trip. I figured he just needed to relieve himself. He did this upon our arrival home but continued to complain about the pain. We settled in to watch a movie, Evan Almighty, very inspirational by the way, and chilled. He continued to be plagued by the discomfort so I pretty much hauled him into the bathroom. This episode was an awful flashback to my life a few years ago when every BM was a major drama production with me doing the relaxation techniques and him doing his best Mommy Dearest impression (the wire hanger scene). UGH! He did manage to clean himself out a bit but is still upset and I am so wired now. I can not go back to this! It is way too hard for me and him.

I called the First Nurse line, (think after hours help line), NOT SO HELPFUL! They totally did not listen to me and simply said that if he had a fever tomorrow to call the Dr. Duh, did I mention anything a fever, NO! Guess you get what you pay for when it is a free service. Guess I am on my own here and muddling through. Hey, didn't I do that yesterday? Guess it is kind of a theme around here.

Please say a prayer for me and Will and that nurse and my mom who is continuing to recover. I am off to practice those relaxation techniques I was trying to convince Will to use.

P.S. Fred, please do not get hung up on the fact that I am talking about Will's bowel history in this forum. So I won't win Mother of the Year since I air my dirty laundry on the Internet. I think I was out of the running a long time ago. I just needed to vent and didn't want to interrupt anyone's dinner by calling them.

Whoosh, that was fun?

Here it is Monday already. Where did the weekend go? Saturday was a blur after the big shopping outing. Sunday came too early with wake-up calls from Will at 2 and 7, that would be AM! He had gotten over his gastro thing by mid day on Sunday. THANK YOU GOD! I was then able to clean to toilets and move on. I attempted to clean up my scrap space but that got a bit interrupted.

It seems that my amazingly wonderful mother, remember the one I couldn't recognize on Saturday, was so sick my dear dad had to take her to the ER! I hated living so far away even more! I was worried about her of course and could just not concentrate to organize and straighten. Instead, I putz around the house and played on the computer until my brother called back with the updates. Thanks Ben! Mom is on Cipro (sp?) for a few days and is on the mend. I didn't talk to her yet, but dad is seeing a bit of improvement. It is a slow comeback.

Well, once that was all worked out it was time for showers and final homework battles for the weekend. Once we got the boys to sleep, before 8PM, they needed a few extra minutes of sleep, I watched my Sunday shows. Desperate Housewives pulls me in but I just could never imagine living in a community so low on the moral spectrum. It is rampant immorality on Wysteria Lane. I got drawn in my Brothers and Sisters too. I did not watch it much last year, just enough to have a little clue, but this season had found me less able to get off my duff and head to bed. I just continue to sit and watch. It is what it is.

Fred left for S.C. this morning. He is there for the week so the boys and I will muddle through as usual. Cereal for dinner? Sure, it is fortified right? I had a HUGE lunch at Long John Silvers today. We went shopping this morning with S and K and then Mrs. P dropped S and I off at work. S's mom picked us up from work and we went to lunch then back to school. It was a nice treat for Monday even if we did miss cinnamon rolls in the cafeteria. They make REALLY yummy Cinnamon Rolls. I am not even close to hungry but I promise I will feed the boys!

OK, off to parent and check homework.

Adventures on Saturday

I LOVE Kohl's. I was in my element this morning as I hit the Power Hours at Kohl's. I did have to drive 45 miles through a bit of rain but it was all worth it. I picked up some shirts fro Fred, some shirts and shoes for me, a couple of winter coats for the boys to try on and some snow pants for Nic. After Kohl's I went to Michael's and bought some canvases. I am going to try a new medium for my creativity. No big plan yet, but I am hoping to make a couple of personalized items for the boys' rooms. I'll post them if they turn out any good.

I continued on my adventure (did I mention that I was ALONE for this trek?) and headed to Super Target. I bought a couple more winter coats for the boys to consider and some pink M&M's. I zipped to the bank then headed to Memory Bound, the closest scrapbook store. There I bought a circle punch and a few sheets of paper. I topped off my trek with a quick stop at Fazoli's.

I called my mom on the way home and didn't recognize her when she answered the phone. I don't think that has EVER happened. She and my dad are SOOO sick. I wish I lived closer so I could take of them. Instead I arrived home to my own sick house. It hit me as soon as I walked in the door. Will apparently has a touch of the stomach flu. No pukies, just the other end. He had a fever of 102.7 and it is only being kept down because of the Motrin. He is so miserable. I hope he keeps it to himself and it is a quick 24 hour variety. The only thing he has eaten today is a small bowl of oyster crackers. He is taking fluids easily but they tend to run through him. I hope we can all rest tonight. I did sneak out to church tonight and then home to make spaghetti for those who wanted to eat.

Enough about me. I had hoped for a chillin Sunday, I suppose it is still possible. I'll let you know...

Are you being silly or sad?

Today was gorgeous outside once school let out. Will and Nic were both antsy and Will had very little homework. He went in search of friends to play with and came up empty. He headed back home and Nic was still working on a time intensive homework assignment. He had to write a creative story using all 30 of this week's spelling words. I sent Will back outside to shoot some baskets. A short while later I had heard no bouncing ball so I looked out my kitchen window to check on him. Guess what I saw?

I saw Will standing at the base of the playset ladder with some sort of eye wear on. I thought maybe it was the eyemask that we used for his birthday party pinata. Nope, it was goggles! He was standing there in goggles talking to no one and moving ever so slightly. I snuck out the back door to see if I could hear what he was saying. No luck, he caught sight of me, So I asked , "Are you being sad or silly Will?" Lucky for me the answer was silly. He immediately lay down in the seat of the swing and acted a bit super heroish. I smiled and went on with my busy afternoon. He seemed content to imagine and play.

I was a busy beaver this afternoon. I made a yummy dinner and am in the midst of three loads of laundry. Boys took showers thanks to encouragement from dear old dad and we are all set for FRIDAY! I am very tired and really want to go to bed but instead I will go watch Grey's and finish up the laundry that has been through the dryer. I'll dry the last load tomorrow after school. I can not stay up that late and still function tomorrow. It is payday for S tomorrow and he is always REALLY enthusiastic on payday.

It's Pink!

I am going pink instead of "autumnal" for the rest of the month. It is Breast Cancer Awareness month so I am going pink! I wore a pink sweater to school today and will probably try to incorporate a little pink here and there to remind myself and others how important awareness is! I had my girls checked this summer, my first mammo. It was piece of cake and I will not put off doing it again in 5 years. I much prefer a mammo to the colonoscopy that I am supposed to endure every 3-5 years. I really need to look back at my records and see if I am supposed to have that done next year or not. Aren't you happy to be in the know about my "tests?"

OK, off to follow up on some laundry that I started this morning. The boys are done with their homework so we need to kill some time before bed. Lots of time...

My life is blessed.

Today was a good day. It started off cold and rainy, which is actually a good way to start a day in my opinion, and is now warmer and sunny with some great clouds. 365 days of this would be my ideal. The boys got up pretty well and got through the morning routine with very little yelling or prodding. Fred was here, preparing for his trip to TX this week. It is a good day when you get to kiss your daddy goodbye on your way out the door.

After I ran the boys to school I returned home for a few minutes. I got to say goodbye to Fred again and changed the dining room tablecloth that was getting a bit messy. I finally went to work and S and K both had really good days! 180 days of today would be grand! They both took direction well at their respective workplaces and K was especially happy because she is celebrating her birthday tomorrow. I need to wrap her gift come to think of it.

Will arrived home with NO homework and Nic managed to do 9 math problems and memorize an entire poem in under 30 minutes. I was sad when I got home and realized that there was no mail (darn Columbus Day!) but I will survive. I think I should get a couple of books from Amazon tomorrow that I ordered back in August. One was a pre-order and the other a Christmas gift for the boys, getting them mid-October is really plenty soon enough.

Since homework is wrapped up and there are still many hours before bed I think we will head to M-town to go to Wal-Mart and Fareway. I need to find a deal on pumpkins. I should find my list and try to stick to it! Wish me luck!

P.S. I wanted to thank anyone and everyone who checks my blog and shares a comment now and again. It is hard for me to reply to comments but it is so fun to read your feedback. It makes me smile. Thanks!

What a weekend!

The whole thing started a little rough on Friday night but we turned it around and got down to fun and progress on some big tasks. Yeah us!

Friday we enjoyed Bailey's for dinner as usual. I thought about going to the football game but no one really wanted to join me and Fred had just gotten home from Mexico so we hung close to home and all stayed busy and out of out of each others way.

Saturday we moved a little slow but just couldn't figure out what to do with ourselves. Since it was such a great day weather wise, and the Cyclones didn't have a home game, we settle on putt putt in Ames. We had not been to this course before, just noticed it when driving by. It was a little expensive but it was a fun course, VERY challenging. Fred won, just barely, and I came in second. Will was third and Nic was last. Only one stroke separated the boys. Pretty good time. After we played we headed to the bank and then to Panera. Everyone seems to get something they like there and I like to think it is a better meal than McDonald's. At least nothing is fried.

After the fun and food we stopped in at Best Buy to buy new headphones for my sweet new cell phone. I got this one last weekend. Of course my ear buds from my old phone don't fit the new one. It just figures.

We followed up the Best Buy trip with a stop at Lowe's. We needed to find some carpet for the basement play area that we are trying to move from one section of the basement to another. Carpet was a bit more than we had planned on and the choices off the rack were not too good. On our way out we noticed these foam floor tiles and were intrigued enough to note the price. As we were leaving Lowe's I remembered that Sam's carried the tiles too so we headed there next. Well, the Sam's tiles were about 60% less than the ones at Lowe's. They boys seemed really pumped about the concept and we ran with it. We also picked up two new bar stools and the necessary milk, bread and chips that drove us there in the first place. $360 later we headed home to get busy.

We decided on a floor plan for the tiles and got them 75% done before we realized that we had to make a minor adjustment to the color scheme/pattern. No big, they were really easy to adjust. The boys were so cute about loading the room with all of their toys. They ran back and forth from the old room to the new room carrying books, bins, board games and took the necessary union breaks as well. We laughed a lot last night. This morning we went back to work a bit more. The computer is now in that room along with a TV. We toyed with the idea of turning my mom's old Kindergarten Table into a bar but decided against it. Nic is disappointed. He'll live I'm sure.

Well, this morning, too early I heard the boys for a few minutes in the LR right outside of our room. In a short while they had gotten REALLY quiet and I couldn't hear the usual cartoons. Guess where they had moved? You got it! The Junior Man Cave. I am going to make a sign for it and everything! They were playing a mean game of Lego Racer, the board game, on their little kid table and were just having a good old time. They need to move their bean bags into that room and if they had a mini-fridge I am sure we wouldn't see them for days on end.

We are topping off the weekend with beef stew for dinner and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert. Daddy leaves again tomorrow for a few days in Dallas so I thought I'd cook while there was still someone here to notice. Sadly I did not get to celebrate National Card Making Day yesterday by making any cards. I do have some I made a few weeks ago and I hope to send some this week. It looks pretty light according to the white board so that shouldn't be too tough.

Off to check the stew. Happy Fall!

Steak, pumpkin muffins, balloons and CURSIVE!

I am working on the life list and it is up to fifty items. Some are fun, some are frivolous, some are all about others and all are just like me! I can do this. It will take time but it is good motivation to have the list started. I will need to work on a timeline/deadline. 40 is too soon, 50 might be a good goal. I'll think on that!

Boys went to school today relatively happy. Besides the fact that Augmentin chewables taste horrific Will was in a decent mood today. I thought I would brighten their day and after I dropped them off at school I went to the local flower shop and ordered them each a small balloon bouquet. Nic's says "You're Awesome" and Will's says, "Thinking of you, Because you're terrific!" I included some candy for the weight and wrote them each a cute sweet mommy note. I thought that they would get called down to the office to see their surprise sometime during the day. The silly secretary didn't call them down till the end of the day. Just as I was picking them up! Oh well, so much for brightening their day at school... They both smiled at the cards I wrote and that was all it took for me to get teary. Did I mention??? I LOVE MY KIDS!

This afternoon has been a bit hectic. Nic had to write a story using his 30 spelling words. He could do that in his sleep but... his teacher instructed them to do it all in cursive. They have not been required to write in cursive at all so far this year. I brought this up at p/t conferences on Monday. I guess he took my advice and decided to get them into the habit of writing in cursive again. I think a story might have been a little too much too fast. Nic was bawling at the table, feeling so overwhelmed, and so frustrated because he had forgotten so much cursive. Lucky for me I had purchased a place mat with cursive letters on it for Will to practice with. Nic used this as a reference and really remembered plenty once he got started. It was rough going for a while though.

I made steak for dinner and some hash browns and my famous pumpkin muffins. Nic and I have already eaten 1/2 of them. Oops! Guess I won't be taking them to work with me tomorrow. Sorry girls.

Well, Fred is on the phone and I need to shuttle my kids off to bed. Tootle loo!

Too much time on my hands...

Will and I are hanging out today doing a lot of nothing. It is a day like this that makes me thankful and restless at the same time. I slept a bit longer after Nic left for school. I showered, emptied the dishwasher and vacuumed the WHOLE house, stairs to the basement included!

Now I am putzing on the computer and Will is trying to play some PS2 but I am so inept that I can not figure out how to set it up. Nic changed it to TV last night and I have no idea how to get it back to auxiliary. How pathetic. I just e-mailed my tech support in Mexico. (That would be my uber smart husband)

Back to my original thoughts... I was checking out some of my favorite blogs and came upon a link to another blog about life lists. This is not a new concept but one that I have never really given much time to. Perhaps I should. It is a little scary to think about putting your deepest desires to paper with a pen no less. Maybe I could use a pencil. Or maybe I should use a Sharpie! I am going to give this idea a little of my time today. Perhaps while I am folding the two load of laundry that I have started. I don't think I will post my list right away, maybe once I have checked a few things off. Maybe...

I am a real list person and need the visual to remind me. Note the weekly calender/white board. I still keep two calenders, one mobile and one for the kitchen but this "list" is a great reminder for me and others. I'll have to put some time on my calender to work on this life list. Anyone else up for it? Or better yet, does anyone already have one? I think the idea is to write about things you want to do between NOW and some future date. So if you have already been skydiving no need to add that to the list. I am off to check the laundry and feed myself and Will some lunch.

I got the call

But was it even worth it? No. We will stay home tomorrow and hope that a days rest will be enough. Nic can represent for us at school. I had to reschedule one p/t conference with the TAG teacher but we can hopefully connect next week. In the meantime, we hang tight and relax.

Tomorrow is really a pretty good day for me to miss school. K is out tomorrow so her aide can take S to work and he won't even miss a beat. It is perhaps Divine intervention that it works out so well. Amen!

The update on the P/T conferences of last night is that my kids are pretty awesome. Will is doing even better than we imagined. We knew that he was very strong in math but it seems he is doing great work in reading too. Maybe it's because he wants to marry this very smart girl named Grace? Maybe it's genetic? Either way it works for me.

Nic is getting more settled with his new teacher. He had a bit of a rough start, forgetting lots of stuff and having a bit of trouble keeping quiet in the halls and stuff. I think he is coming around and that is music to my ears. He does great work and his grades reflect that he is doing all that he can.

I am blessed to be a mom to these great boys and for that I am so grateful. Again, can I get and AMEN?!?!?

AMEN!!!

Tis the season...

The season for what you say... Changing leaves, autumn rain showers and sickness bugs at school.

Well, Will had a fever on Sunday late afternoon, he took Motrin, I called the family nurse, and he went to bed comfortable. I stopped in the school nurse's office Monday and she took a look at the infected ear from last week and said it was noticeably improved. He had no fever so we let him go to school. Upon getting out of school at 2:00 for P/T conferences he came home with another fever of 102.6. UGH!

Called the Dr. and he moved us from Amoxicillian to Augmentin. Gave him a little more Motrin. No more fever, went to P/T conferences without issue, played on the playground for almost an hour. Fast forward to today after school, he gets in the car a little too mellow, sure enough 101.2 fever again. Another call in to the Dr. and we wait. Guess who is staying home from school tomorrow? I think I know.

My guess is that he will stay home and rest or we'll be headed to the Dr. once we get Nic to school. Seeing as it is 4:15 local time and the Dr. leaves at 5:00 and it would take us 25 minutes to get there I am thinking we will not make it today. Here I go to sit by the phone and wait for the call...