Checking in...

I wrote this a week ago but due to technical difficulties that day it never posted.  Better late than never I always say!

Monday and the boys are home from school.  Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States for a second term today and although I did not watch the event I am still a proud American. Sometimes I get very frustrated with my FB friends who post insults and harassment about the President because I am of the opinion that no matter if we like him or not we should respect the office of POTUS and the person who represents our country to the world.  The months leading up to the elections were a difficult time on FB because people were so committed to their beliefs.  That in itself was a great thing. The mudslinging and rudeness was not.

I spent my morning curled up on the couch reading this. It is on my list of things to accomplish in January and I am really close to finishing it.  I have enjoyed the book and writing down some aha moments. I want to compile my own list of Rules of Adulthood sometime.  I want to be an adult a little longer before I do that.

This week is an interesting one. I have some things on my calender that I am pumped about and a few things I am pretty unsure about.  The unsure one comes first. Tomorrow morning Nic and I are going to Children's Hospital in Plano to see a Nephrologist.  This is a doctor who specializes in kidney function.  We had no idea that there was anything wrong with Nic's kidney function, and there still may be nothing actually wrong but we were referred by his Dr. after his last well-child check-up.  He had some protein in his urine specimen and upon a return a few weeks later it was still there.  In actual truth there was protein in his urine last year too but there was never any follow-up.  I sincerely hope that is not a problem but I sincerely hope I find out tomorrow.  Specialist are a funny bunch of doctors and honing in on one body part seems like it would get old real fast but this is a pretty significant body part so I hope the Dr. has a good bedside manner and that he shares ANSWERS tomorrow.  I am nervous about the unknown.

Children's says that an appointment can take 1-3 hours. WOW what a window!  We are prepared for even longer but certainly hope to be on the short efficient side of the range while still walking away with INFORMATION and ANSWERS.

After the appointment Nic should go back to school and I will be prepping for a PTA meeting. Then I have carpool, William has a rehearsal with his pianist for his solo competition piece that he will play on Saturday and I will crash.  Fred is out of the country so at least I get the middle of the bed!  The little things bring me joy and happiness!

Another calendar filler that will make me smile is that I have a dentist appt on Thursday. Just a 6 month check-up with cleaning but those always make me smile. I LOVE the feeling of clean polished teeth and expect no big issues so it should be a wham bam thank you m'am!

I am working on Friday at the Middle School in 8th grade English. Should be an interesting day.

Happier

Happier

That's it! That is the word of the year!  It has taken a few extra days to decide but I am excited and looking forward to an even HAPPIER 2013.

So the year so far, 9 days in, is going really well.  Boys are back at school. Science Fair project is complete, turned in and is moving on to the school level from the class level competition. Nic is working on his next thespian foray and Fred is busy at work while also working on the details of our 20th anniversary trip to Paris and London in his free time.  I am hopeful that hotel/apartment details will be secured by this time next week.  Plane tickets have been purchased already!

I was challenged by a FB/Blogger friend to put some things down for reflection and inspiration about exactly what I hope to accomplish in the first 6 months of 2013. This idea appealed to me because cutting the year in half seems so reasonable. 182.5 days seems like a manageable chunk compared to 365.  So why not take it a step further and chunk it into what I hope to accomplish each month during those first 6 months?  Here goes.  This is totally off the cuff.  And by no means of complete list. Just a few for each month.

January -
1. Make great progress in cleaning up the piles around the house that replicated in late 2012. Specifically on my back hall desk and my scrapbooking desk. 
2. Finish reading Happier at Home
3. Attempt to participate 100% in bible study this month.
4. Walk

February -
1. Complete LOAD213 with 28-35 completed pages
2. Read another book from the armoire
3. Get all of the PTA stuff in order for a smooth transition for next year while finalizing this year (teacher grants)
4. Walk 20 miles

March -
1. Recover from LOAD213 by cleaning up the scrap desk and displaying some pages before putting them all in scrapbooks.
2. Take a whole week OFF from PTA while chilling with my boys on Spring Break.  Make some real memories and use technology less.
3. Read 2 books (one from the armoire and one from Kindle)
4. Walk 40 miles

April -
1. Get really busy mapping out daily itineraries for days abroad.  Begin packing list and shop for versatile clothing and shoes that will be comfortable.
2. Read at least 2 books (one from armoire and one from Kindle)
3. Begin working on the summer calendar of programs and plans for the Baker Boys
4. Walk 50 miles

May -
1. Put the time in the wrap up school year with PTA with a bang. Field Days, 8th grade treats & t's and other grade level fun
2. Read 2 books (one based in London and one based in Paris)
3. Hand write thank you notes to each of the boys' teachers and counselors to put into words how grateful I am for each of them.
4. Walk 50 miles

June -
1. Pack, prepare for and ENJOY my anniversary trip to Europe
2. Spend a day with my mom
3. Relax as much as possible


The walking thing was the last thing added and could certainly stand to be increased but we'll start with those numbers and improve as we can.

Okay, off to make beds with clean sheets and put my shoes on to start walking.  How far will I get walking while watching an episode of the ELLEN show?

The piles are replicating I just know it.

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
- Thomas A. Edison

Been a weird week around here. Not too productive due to a wonky schedules with kids and sick friends and extra carpool shifts and migraines and lack of motivation and oh so much  more...

Anyway, today after my three trips to HS, a quick zip through McDonald's for my daily Coca Cola and a VERY LONG shower, I got down to something that I have had on my mental to do list for quite some time.  I attacked a few of my many PILES!

I had one in the LR, three in my bedroom, a magazine rack full that had about an inch of dust on it and I still have two more behind the couch and what look to be another two on my desk.  I am sure that there are a couple on the dining room table too because that is just the way of my world.  Some of my piles are made up of books. Some are magazines and mail and a few and papers that have been sorted and resorted and will need to be sorted once again. The piles include coupons, receipts, good ideas, wishful thinking, hidden treasures as well as JUNK!

I recall my mother and father both having PILES in their lives when I was growing up. Dad's piles were mostly on his desk upstairs and tucked away. He had bills and reports and treasures in his piles too.  He also had some pretty amazing piles in the basement near his workbench. I don't recall ever seeing the top of that piece. Just the piles that covered it.  I wish I had taken notice of how his piles were doing when I was home last month. I bet he still has a few.  Mom's piles were on the buffet or when company was coming they were placed IN the buffet. We have always had a coffee table and sometimes piles could be found there too.

A pile on my desk that should be EASY to tackle since it includes 2 books.

In my house piles are part of the way I live.  Fred despises my piles and sometimes when I am away he takes all the piles and combines them for me.  Yep, hon I get the hint.  I still have to go through them though and I still need to decide if there are nuggets from that magazine that I could use. I need to put the coupons in the proper place so that I might SOMEDAY actually remember to take the 20% off coupon with me to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Today I sorted and combined and not have two smaller piles where once there were four. I have put about 8 pounds of recycling into my bin to be taken to the garage and IF the rest of the day goes as I hope I could get through the piles behind the couch and on my desk.  Will they disappear? Not on your life! But will they be neater and have fewer expired items in them? Heck yeah!

I take the good that I can and hope that among all of the progress I find a nugget of inspiration and feel vindicated that I kept a little something in just one of my piles.

It's been a blur...

My last post was on the first day of school and now it is almost semester break!?  Wow! Slacker much Susan?

Well, to be honest I have been working my tail off. I have subbed more this year than any year previous. I have met some great kids, visited some new schools and earned some CASH!  Of course I get paid WAY WAY WAY after I finish the job but the money will come in handy when it comes.

Fred has been working away at his job and is getting good feedback and a few promises from his boss about what the future holds for him.  I KNOW he works hard and is a great employee and I think they see it too. Would love to see a compensatory raise and perhaps a car allowance to go with all that hard work. It'll come... it'll come.

Nic has had a roller coaster Freshman year thus far. Some AMAZING days and events and some real bummers. He is getting ready to participate in the show Legally Blonde the Musical this week for four shows. He has two roles and a solo singing part for one of them. It is new territory for him, musical on a BIG stage, and he is going to do GREAT! I will be sporting my show shirt for the rest of the week in support!  Grades have been steady with just a couple of hiccups. We are hoping for a STRONG finish so the semester averages are solid.  They are the ones that matter apparently.  Fingers crossed.  Socially he has met a bunch of new people but is still strong with the good friends from RMS. He has done well. I am proud.

WB is having a stellar 7th grade year.  He has the best teaching team and is really responding well to all of them.  He is LOVING ILA which was a class he loathed last year so I am SUPER HAPPY with that news. It is amazing that the same subject matter taught by a different person can be so much more enjoyable.  He is cruising along in the symphonic band assignment and actually just got a promotion to a new instrument.  He is now playing a tenor saxophone.He is having to relearn some pieces that the tenor part is a little different in. He is also working on a solo for a competition in February.  It's a little funny but he is getting nervous already.

I have been busy subbing her there and yon and doing PTA stuff.  I have taken part in a weekly Bible study going through Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  I haven't been completely loyal but have tried.  Not sure if I will rejoin for the spring semester.  I would like to read some more fiction. That sounds selfish... Better pray about that.  I have also had some crafting successes and failures this last 3 months. In October I took part in LOAD1012 which stands for Layout A Day Oct, 2012.  Each day of the month I was given a prompt and challenged to make a layout. I was not required to follow the prompts but they were fun and stretched me at times.  I also went on an overnight Stampin Up retreat in October with some friends and made some fun projects for myself and to share. Sabrina and I tried our hands at a Pinterest project that was an EPIC fail but just this weekend I tried another one that was a HUGE success. You take the good and the bad I guess.

Slacker mom helped with these survivalist costumes. NOT! 
Boys were on their own this Halloween.

Well, as we move into December, just 3 more weeks in this semester, we will all prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas. No big time shopping going on here since we are already blessed beyond measure and tend to fulfill our wants on a pretty regular basis. Taking some time over the break to just breathe and enjoy each others' company will be my top priority. I am thinking a James Bond Movie Marathon followed by a Back to the Future Marathon the next day could be a perfect scenario.  Hopefully I will post a little something before Christmas. I'll do my best.

Family photo taken during our Thanksgiving trek to Indiana. 
Love a Baker boy/man smile.

It's real!

I am the mother of a high school student. I dropped him off this morning at THE HIGH SCHOOL! It seems like it was just last week that I was hearing his babble on and on about the Pangaean Puzzle in the Magic School Bus Travels to the Center of the Earth PC game.  He looked quite handsome today and the BEST part was that when he got out of the car he saw a FRIEND and lit up and faced his day.  I'm not sure if he was nervous. I'm not sure if he was scared. What I do know is that he is ready! He has broken the ice with kids through summer school and summer theatre camp and he has his supplies and schedule and he can get in his locker and he has lunch money in his account. He is READY!

My dear sweet Will was up immediately with his alarm and hit the showers and breakfast table with a smile on his face. On our way to school I asked if he was excited and he said he was looking forward to his new teachers! Who says that?  I expected, I'm happy to see my friends, or I'll be happy at 3:30 but no, WB was excited about his new teachers! It's going to be a GREAT year because he does have great teachers. No pressure Ms. Tran!  He traveled light today with just PE clothes that he doesn't even need yet but he wanted to be prepared. He also took with him the summer reading book that he has gotten through at least twice and possibly three times.  It was engaging and compelling and it was great for boys and girls. I wish i could have been in on the discussions today.  Bet they are going to be enlightening.  He left the rest of his supplies at school last week. He has got a handle on the whole MS thing so I am expecting great things.

I settled into my quiet house with a big gulp of water and two miles on the treadmill. No tears today but I will miss my boys. They are the light in my life and I want the BEST for them in everything. I am so pumped about the POSSIBILITY of a new school year. I pray that the boys have the day they have (don't want to put too much pressure on them) and that they come home ready to share the ups and downs with me. I am their biggest FAN!

Back 2 School

It is almost like January around here. There is a sense of new beginning. There is an opportunity for a fresh start. There are new schools, new classes, new teachers, new routines.  There are new clothes, new shoes and new friends.  There are new habits and new opportunities.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE back to school time. I love school supplies and freshly sharpened pencils and a clean notebook. Many years that I send the boys off I wish deep down that I was the one with a new teacher and new things to learn.

I am learning though. As I trudge along in my serving and working I learn each and every day. I have learned that it is not my job to make people happy. I have learned that by saying yes to sub jobs I do make people happy. I have learned that rules are guidelines and that there are no PTA police but there are best practices. I have learned more about 501 (c) (3) stuff and tax exempt status and what it means to be incorporated in the state of Texas that I ever wanted to know! The good news is that because I have paid attention and worked through the processes of the last year I can HELP someone else if they are faced with the challenge. I hope I never need to be that mentor but I would if I was asked.

My goals and aspirations for this school year are many.

1. I hope to support my boys in being successful in Middle and High School while allowing them to fail just enough to LEARN a lesson or two.
2. I hope to work enough to contribute to the bottom line for my family while taking enough time to enjoy being a SAHM and professional volunteer.
3. I hope to fulfill my responsibility as PTA President with professionalism and continue to develop the middle school PTA to 100%. Family Engagement, Advocacy and Parent Education.
4. I hope to manage my household in a way that is pleasing to my family. To keep clothes are the hangers, warm dinners on the table at night and toilet paper rolls full.

I'm sure I need to plan on more than that but it looks like a good start. Good luck to anyone and everyone during this season of fresh starts!

Today looks...

It looks like it is half way done but really there is so much more time to accomplish what I want and need to do.

Nic is at Jr. Theatre camp this week as a counselor then Shakespeare workshop in the afternoon. 

Will is trying not to spend the WHOLE day gaming.  It ain't easy!  I hope to hear a saxophone note or two this afternoon. 

Fred is at work and I am plugging along with my mental to do list.  I think I'll type it so I can go back and check it...

Laundry  - In process
Pick up Dry Cleaning  - CHECK!
Call IRS re REvoked status
Email TX PTA after I talk to IRS
Marinate chicken for dinner and plan sides
Cut up strawberries in fridge before they spoil
Clean up LR (vacuum, dust, straighten)
Cull through SLS items to make piles for follow-up and recycle
Scrapbook (I need 7 more pages to meet July goal)

Well, looking at that list I guess I'd better get off this BLOG and get busy!

Setting a goal to blog 10 times in August. Gotta try.