This year, I've been "fortunate" enough to have a tutoring job. Fortunate only in the sense that it's during the day, not after school and it's nice to have a little extra money. Lately, though, the job has been very frustrating. In fact, it's been so frustrating, I've been seriously wondering if teaching/working with kids/in education is really for me!
I'm tutoring a failed high school senior, and he's been less than honest with me about passing in important work and very immature in his attitude in general about learning. He is insistent on wanting to go to college, but he doesn't seem at all motivated to work to get there. I think we have a chance at graduating him, this is unless he continues to lie to me. I'm growing very impatient!!
This morning I had my parent volunteer tutoring sessions. In light of all I've been going through in my other tutoring situation, being around children has just been exhausting me! I picked up my third grader, wishing the kids had had a late open and I didn't have to be there and my student brought along her pencil box, gave me a pencil and said, "This is for you because it's my birthday!!" I thought that was cute.
Then I pulled out her folder and we sat down. Just recently, another parent started working with this student. All we are doing is going over sight words - it's very tedious and the students generally don't respond very well to this kind of continuous rote "learning." As I was getting ready to read what she did with her other parent volunteer, she admitted to me that they had had a "little fight." Apparently, the other tutor showed up at story time, and she was extremely reluctant to leave her class. She decided she didn't want to work with her other tutor.
Honestly, I just don't know where kids get these ideas that they have a choice, but I went along with her train of thought. Her teacher had her write an apology letter to this tutor, but the volunteer parent quit - I don't blame her! At the same time, giving in to a third grader only empowers them to repeat that same behavior. And some day, they might find themselves in the position of needing a tutor in order to graduate high school!!
Her teacher later told me that she was shocked, that this girl seems to love me and we've never had any problems (at least none that I've fessed up to!). I really just thought it was the timing, the change to something new and different and not the tutor at all. It has been good for me to think through all this, because I definitely tend to take things personally. In actuality, these kids are just expressing their feeling through the only thing that has ever gotten them the attention they want - refusing to perform. It's quite sad, and it's very dangerous. Note to self - don't let my own children fall into this bad habit!
As good of a student as I was, I can pinpoint areas in my life where I refused to perform because I was unhappy, or mad or just wanted to make a point. Sometimes, it may have been the right thing to do, but not always and it never benefited me to act that way. I think the very same root behavior that is so infuriating to me now is something that I've actually done myself! And very wrongly. I'll have to remind myself of that when it happens, because as I know well, it's very annoying!
I'm off to tutor... wish me luck!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Memory Gap
Last night, I was finishing up the first Magic Treehouse book with Em. We read almost the entire book last night - it was so fun! I love to listen to her commentary after the stories we read because it reminds of my 6 year old mind. I have so many wonderful memories from kindergarten. In fact, I sometimes will be reminded by a smell, or a game or even a name. I'm completely amazed at the volume of memories I have from that one year of my life. I guess I'm amazed because I have only two recollections from first grade, that I read the book Sun Up and my teacher's name was Mrs. Bauchman. And from second grade? I have only one memory, my teacher was Mrs. Lawrence. But of kindergarten...
My teacher was Mrs. Handy and she was the best kindergarten teacher in the whole world! (Next to my mother, of course, who, hands down, is the original greatest teacher in the world!) My boyfriend was Scott Quimby, who had the coolest bedroom with his own trapeze in a "bonus room" of his house. He also had a playset in his backyard that had a fort and was right next to a group of pine trees that provided our "house" when we played together. Scott also had the biggest deck ever off the back of his house, and right next to it was a huge Oak tree with a rope that you could swing off the deck from like Tarzan. Scott was an avid dinosaur collector and he also introduced me to the man in the moon on our way home from seeing Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the Jewish Community Center.
Enough about boys... when I wasn't hanging around Scott at school, I was playing in the house area, which consisted of every wooden house toy they ever sold. Wardrobe, stove, sink, tables and chairs, and tons of dress-up clothes filled that corner, with plenty of windows to boot. Our classroom overlooked one of the huge playgrounds at my school. We also had a piano that Mrs. Handy would play while we sang. She was a great piano player, not such a wonderful singer, but we made up for that! We belted our kindergarten ABC's song out like there was no tomorrow!
I remember playing a game that I just walked in on Em's class playing. Mrs. Handy showed us a tray full of objects, then she put them all in a bag and passed it around. We had to reach in and feel an object and tell what it was, then pull it out to see if we were right. I can remember wanting so badly to pull out the blue block. I can't remember if I found it or not!! I also remember learning about colonial America in kindergarten, making a huge American flag out of tissue paper and that old paste we used to use. We also had parents come in and help us make cranberry jelly for our Thanksgiving Feast. It was super fun.
In spring, we had to take a kindergarten standardized test - can you believe it!! We had our own bathrooms in our room, but the little girl next to me didn't make it. I can remember looking next to me and seeing this huge puddle under her seat (NO, it wasn't me!). I wonder how I did on that test? I can also remember loving the sand table in our room, the front playground at school that we played on and having snack time, which was provided by the school. Every day, Mr. Noran, the janitor, would wheel in the crates of milk cartons. I can remember telling my mom that the milk was always sour. Turns out it was whole milk - we only drank 1% at home. Milk and graham crackers every day!
I do not remember one thing I didn't like about kindergarten. It was wonderful. I guess that is why I really wanted my girls to have the same kindergarten experience that I had. I wanted it to be fun, exciting, memorable. I don't know if it will be the same for them, but someday maybe I'll know. In fact, maybe they will have even more memories of first and second grade than I have - let's hope so! I don't know what was happening those years that I don't remember them. Were they boring? Difficult? Perhaps they were just ordinary. Since I don't remember them, I'll never know!
My teacher was Mrs. Handy and she was the best kindergarten teacher in the whole world! (Next to my mother, of course, who, hands down, is the original greatest teacher in the world!) My boyfriend was Scott Quimby, who had the coolest bedroom with his own trapeze in a "bonus room" of his house. He also had a playset in his backyard that had a fort and was right next to a group of pine trees that provided our "house" when we played together. Scott also had the biggest deck ever off the back of his house, and right next to it was a huge Oak tree with a rope that you could swing off the deck from like Tarzan. Scott was an avid dinosaur collector and he also introduced me to the man in the moon on our way home from seeing Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the Jewish Community Center.
Enough about boys... when I wasn't hanging around Scott at school, I was playing in the house area, which consisted of every wooden house toy they ever sold. Wardrobe, stove, sink, tables and chairs, and tons of dress-up clothes filled that corner, with plenty of windows to boot. Our classroom overlooked one of the huge playgrounds at my school. We also had a piano that Mrs. Handy would play while we sang. She was a great piano player, not such a wonderful singer, but we made up for that! We belted our kindergarten ABC's song out like there was no tomorrow!
I remember playing a game that I just walked in on Em's class playing. Mrs. Handy showed us a tray full of objects, then she put them all in a bag and passed it around. We had to reach in and feel an object and tell what it was, then pull it out to see if we were right. I can remember wanting so badly to pull out the blue block. I can't remember if I found it or not!! I also remember learning about colonial America in kindergarten, making a huge American flag out of tissue paper and that old paste we used to use. We also had parents come in and help us make cranberry jelly for our Thanksgiving Feast. It was super fun.
In spring, we had to take a kindergarten standardized test - can you believe it!! We had our own bathrooms in our room, but the little girl next to me didn't make it. I can remember looking next to me and seeing this huge puddle under her seat (NO, it wasn't me!). I wonder how I did on that test? I can also remember loving the sand table in our room, the front playground at school that we played on and having snack time, which was provided by the school. Every day, Mr. Noran, the janitor, would wheel in the crates of milk cartons. I can remember telling my mom that the milk was always sour. Turns out it was whole milk - we only drank 1% at home. Milk and graham crackers every day!
I do not remember one thing I didn't like about kindergarten. It was wonderful. I guess that is why I really wanted my girls to have the same kindergarten experience that I had. I wanted it to be fun, exciting, memorable. I don't know if it will be the same for them, but someday maybe I'll know. In fact, maybe they will have even more memories of first and second grade than I have - let's hope so! I don't know what was happening those years that I don't remember them. Were they boring? Difficult? Perhaps they were just ordinary. Since I don't remember them, I'll never know!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Well, Sorry!
It's green - and I like it that way!
| Your Blog Should Be Purple |
 You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say. |
Just a little Bored.
| You Are a Visual Learner |
 You tend to remember what you see, and you have a good eye for aesthetics. You excel at art, design, and computer programming. You would be an excellent film director - or the next Bill Gates! |
Snow Day - AGAIN!
Here we are, sitting here watching Spongebob Squarepants. I always find it SO intriguing how my children, who we can barely scrape out of bed of school days to catch a 9am bus are up, running around, laughing and playing at 7:45 when there is no school. What is that?
There is literally a millimeter of snow on the ground and it's basically flurrying. Now this is the Maryland I remember! The forecast does call for the snow to pick up between noon and 5 today, so if that's the case, I'd rather have them safe at home than me sitting around worrying about that bus driving them home in a blizzard. Of course, now we'll be in school until Independence Day!
There is literally a millimeter of snow on the ground and it's basically flurrying. Now this is the Maryland I remember! The forecast does call for the snow to pick up between noon and 5 today, so if that's the case, I'd rather have them safe at home than me sitting around worrying about that bus driving them home in a blizzard. Of course, now we'll be in school until Independence Day!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
"Starvers"
That is what Em used to call Star Wars, until she got to kindergarten, that is! Today I spent some time taking dictation of kindergarten Paw Print Press stories. Our school PTA published a work of each student in the school, but for kindergarten the process takes a bit longer because most of them cannot even write one sentence, let alone an entire story on their own.
It is not recommended that parents take down their own child's story, unless they want to. That wasn't my choice, but Em really seemed nervous about this new experience so I relented and wrote her story out for her. We had written a few at home, so from those she chose to tell the one about daddy showing her and Kt Star Wars while mommy was away. It was a brief story, and when it was done, she was ready to start on her next one. I guess the point that it was only to be one story was lost on her - several times!
After we finished up her "About the Author", came up with a title we started the dedication page. She decided to dedicate her book to her pets, Phoebe and Calvin, "because I forgot to write a story about them!" Those were her exact words as she glared at me. Like it was my fault??? Luckily for me, it's pretty unlikely she'll ever let me take down a story for her again! Oh, and she had me write that when she grows up, she wants to be a doctor, dentist and veterinarian. I wonder who gets to pay for THAT education!
It is not recommended that parents take down their own child's story, unless they want to. That wasn't my choice, but Em really seemed nervous about this new experience so I relented and wrote her story out for her. We had written a few at home, so from those she chose to tell the one about daddy showing her and Kt Star Wars while mommy was away. It was a brief story, and when it was done, she was ready to start on her next one. I guess the point that it was only to be one story was lost on her - several times!
After we finished up her "About the Author", came up with a title we started the dedication page. She decided to dedicate her book to her pets, Phoebe and Calvin, "because I forgot to write a story about them!" Those were her exact words as she glared at me. Like it was my fault??? Luckily for me, it's pretty unlikely she'll ever let me take down a story for her again! Oh, and she had me write that when she grows up, she wants to be a doctor, dentist and veterinarian. I wonder who gets to pay for THAT education!
I'm Suing
Watch out groundhog, I'm sending a lawsuit your way! Yes, folks, just when Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring, we once again have SNOW! There is hope, however... unlike the past snow days, our county has actually taken notice. I received an email tonight (first time all year!) to be sure to watch for any emergency snow cancellations or delays. Maybe their attempt to actually be prepared, possibly in order to avert being sued by every bus driver and parent in the county, will jinx this storm. Wishful thinking, perhaps... I mean, it was only 19 degrees outside when I woke up, and it has barely budged all day. Time to crawl back into my cave. That groundhog doesn't know what he's talking about!
11k
I just had my 11,000th visitor to my blog. It wasn't T, he was busy cooking up a storm in our kitchen and then cleaning it up!! I think there are some things I will miss about him being home for this past week.
My visitor was someone who I don't think has even visited before. He/she is from Chicago, Illinois. That's pretty cool for me, because that is where my dad was born and raised. I've been there only a couple times, but the last time I was there was with my grandparents, my mom's parents, who took me there to visit my Dad's aunt and uncle. While there, they took me to see an exhibit on China, which I thought was fascinating!! Who would have thought that one day I'd be married into a Chinese family!
My visitor was someone who I don't think has even visited before. He/she is from Chicago, Illinois. That's pretty cool for me, because that is where my dad was born and raised. I've been there only a couple times, but the last time I was there was with my grandparents, my mom's parents, who took me there to visit my Dad's aunt and uncle. While there, they took me to see an exhibit on China, which I thought was fascinating!! Who would have thought that one day I'd be married into a Chinese family!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Standardized Testing
Next week, my oldest daughter will begin her first round of many years of standardized testing. In Maryland, all 3rd and 5th graders (maybe 4th?) take the Maryland School Assessment. In other words, my daughter's score will only mean that her school will either benefit or rate poorly based on her performance.
We received a note about this assessment, begging and pleading with us to make sure our children get plenty of sleep, come to school on time and are not absent for a single day. This, apparently, will "greatly benefit" our child. Really? How?? Well, I won't get into the debate on testing because I do understand that there are limited ways to effectively "grade" schools! I mean, you wouldn't visit them, interview students and parents, teachers and staff or go out of your way to find out what this school offers that that school doesn't. It's easier to just create a unified test, tell the teachers what will be on it so that they teach only those things very, very well and forgo teaching things they might believe are important or reteach things that the students didn't quite understand. No time for that!
I'm being a little sarcastic, but I'm not vindictive. I'll buy into the plenty of rest, a good breakfast routine. I can pay my dues and play my part in making our fine educational institute shine. But there is this one thing.... "brain food." Apparently, in the third grade, the kids will be provided with a snack that parents have been asked to provide. They are calling it "brain food" and it consists of orange slices and raisins. This will be the one and only snack for 4 days of testing!! Now, I'm all about keeping it simple, but my child won't eat either of those. So, will she not be as smart as her peers who like that food? will she peeter out before the end of day 2? will she be the only child in the class who won't smell like oranges or have her entire test paper sticky from citric acid???
I asked today if we could also send in bunches of bananas for those who do not like oranges and raisins. At first, I was informed that many others had asked the same question, so I know my child is not the only one who will be brainless. Then today I got the answer - No. This is not a food source (even though they have a "snack" everyday at 11:30 because lunch is not served until 1pm!!!!!!), it is solely for "brain boosting" purposes. Wow. I'm quite certain I don't know what to say. I had no idea that only oranges and raisins can boost a brain. Is that where I have gone tragically wrong in my own life??
For Kt's sake, I'm hoping the cup of water she gets boosts her brain enough to survive the rest of her long, tedious morning of testing. If anything, it will send her straight to the bathroom in the middle of a test. Should I send her in Pull-ups? Oh, well.... think of the most time-consuming fruit to prepare for a snack, that will require a parent to breech the innermost sanctum of testing to deliver, ask for them to bring that 4 days..... there you have it? I think the person who came up with this idea ought to be eating some REAL brain food!
We received a note about this assessment, begging and pleading with us to make sure our children get plenty of sleep, come to school on time and are not absent for a single day. This, apparently, will "greatly benefit" our child. Really? How?? Well, I won't get into the debate on testing because I do understand that there are limited ways to effectively "grade" schools! I mean, you wouldn't visit them, interview students and parents, teachers and staff or go out of your way to find out what this school offers that that school doesn't. It's easier to just create a unified test, tell the teachers what will be on it so that they teach only those things very, very well and forgo teaching things they might believe are important or reteach things that the students didn't quite understand. No time for that!
I'm being a little sarcastic, but I'm not vindictive. I'll buy into the plenty of rest, a good breakfast routine. I can pay my dues and play my part in making our fine educational institute shine. But there is this one thing.... "brain food." Apparently, in the third grade, the kids will be provided with a snack that parents have been asked to provide. They are calling it "brain food" and it consists of orange slices and raisins. This will be the one and only snack for 4 days of testing!! Now, I'm all about keeping it simple, but my child won't eat either of those. So, will she not be as smart as her peers who like that food? will she peeter out before the end of day 2? will she be the only child in the class who won't smell like oranges or have her entire test paper sticky from citric acid???
I asked today if we could also send in bunches of bananas for those who do not like oranges and raisins. At first, I was informed that many others had asked the same question, so I know my child is not the only one who will be brainless. Then today I got the answer - No. This is not a food source (even though they have a "snack" everyday at 11:30 because lunch is not served until 1pm!!!!!!), it is solely for "brain boosting" purposes. Wow. I'm quite certain I don't know what to say. I had no idea that only oranges and raisins can boost a brain. Is that where I have gone tragically wrong in my own life??
For Kt's sake, I'm hoping the cup of water she gets boosts her brain enough to survive the rest of her long, tedious morning of testing. If anything, it will send her straight to the bathroom in the middle of a test. Should I send her in Pull-ups? Oh, well.... think of the most time-consuming fruit to prepare for a snack, that will require a parent to breech the innermost sanctum of testing to deliver, ask for them to bring that 4 days..... there you have it? I think the person who came up with this idea ought to be eating some REAL brain food!
News in a Nutshell
Well, I'm surviving T being home for almost a week now! This morning, I had to take a shower to The Police pounding through my house. Yes, the stereo is downstairs and my shower is up! I also have the looming computer issue upcoming. He'll have to turn his in on Friday, which leaves this one and the iMac that we returned.... in other words, this ONE! We also survived a Chicken Parmesan pizza, salad and Cake 'n Berries for dessert. Tonight - Peppersteak, deep fried onion (this one should be a sight - I've never even tried to deep fry anything!) and more of that dessert from last night. I must say, I could get used to T cooking, it's the grocery bill that scares me. You should have seen the look on my face when he told me today that he needed 6 cups of vegetable oil to deepfry one onion.... Yup, you know the look I'm talking about!
Here are a couple things going on that I've failed to mention because I'm waiting for pictures, which will never come! First, we went up to Connecticut the weekend before my birthday for a surprise party for my sister-in-law's 3oth birthday. I couldn't mention it before we went because she was checking my blog every single day the week before! The big surprise was a new car. After the second pair of driving gloves, I think she caught on to the theme. My brother had carefully planned the entire weekend - not an easy feat, as we were supposed to home, he had to hide a new car and she had a meltdown the day before. Needless to say, it's all water under the bridge now - or is it a Hyundai Tucson speeding over the bridge?? Wish I could share some pictures, but my brother hasn't sent any!
Secondly, T's been hanging out at home. We were going to escape this past weekend to Key West, but with little planning time, having just been in Florida last month and little details like sick children we opted instead for one night at the waterfront Marriott in Baltimore. It was quite spectacular. When we checked in, they gave us a free upgrade to a "Deluxe" king on the 27th floor. We had a panoramic view of the Inner Harbor up to Ft. McHenry (although we couldn't quite spot it!). Absolutely amazing, and we got there at sunset!! Saturday morning, we walked all the way around the harbor in the 60 degree weather. Just as we returned to the hotel, the wind kicked up and blew us right out of town! (If you count six floors down from the top on the far right, that's where we stayed!)
Saturday afternoon, we caught a movie - Amazing Grace. It was excellent! Well made, a great story and historically I'm guessing accurate... but I'll have to check on that one. While William Wilburforce's story is much about a spiritual journey, it is an amazing story about the impact that one man can have on a moral injustice. I was a little surprised to see many government agencies listed as partners for this movie, but also extremely impressed that they would take a stand to support something so worthwhile. US Congress and the Department for State Department Office for Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons were among the partners. God moved a man to change the world, and the effects are still being felt today. Unfortunately, the problem today is far worse, as human trafficking is even more prevalent than it was during that time.
Finally, I just found out today that friends from college, who have been waiting a very long time for a child, just received their referral today for a beautiful little girl in China. I cannot stop smiling for them - I'm so excited!! They will both be amazing parents, and of course, we're a little partial to children of Chinese descent! God has showered His blessings on them today and we will continue to pray for this process. It will be May before they bring her home.
One more day with T and then I'm on my own.... it's a little unnerving, but I'll get used to it. I'll be going to an open house about graduate school at Johns Hopkins next weekend and also submitting an application to work as an instructional assistant soon. Next year is shaping up to be different, busy and maybe a little more than I'm ready for. YIKES!
Here are a couple things going on that I've failed to mention because I'm waiting for pictures, which will never come! First, we went up to Connecticut the weekend before my birthday for a surprise party for my sister-in-law's 3oth birthday. I couldn't mention it before we went because she was checking my blog every single day the week before! The big surprise was a new car. After the second pair of driving gloves, I think she caught on to the theme. My brother had carefully planned the entire weekend - not an easy feat, as we were supposed to home, he had to hide a new car and she had a meltdown the day before. Needless to say, it's all water under the bridge now - or is it a Hyundai Tucson speeding over the bridge?? Wish I could share some pictures, but my brother hasn't sent any!
Secondly, T's been hanging out at home. We were going to escape this past weekend to Key West, but with little planning time, having just been in Florida last month and little details like sick children we opted instead for one night at the waterfront Marriott in Baltimore. It was quite spectacular. When we checked in, they gave us a free upgrade to a "Deluxe" king on the 27th floor. We had a panoramic view of the Inner Harbor up to Ft. McHenry (although we couldn't quite spot it!). Absolutely amazing, and we got there at sunset!! Saturday morning, we walked all the way around the harbor in the 60 degree weather. Just as we returned to the hotel, the wind kicked up and blew us right out of town! (If you count six floors down from the top on the far right, that's where we stayed!)
Saturday afternoon, we caught a movie - Amazing Grace. It was excellent! Well made, a great story and historically I'm guessing accurate... but I'll have to check on that one. While William Wilburforce's story is much about a spiritual journey, it is an amazing story about the impact that one man can have on a moral injustice. I was a little surprised to see many government agencies listed as partners for this movie, but also extremely impressed that they would take a stand to support something so worthwhile. US Congress and the Department for State Department Office for Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons were among the partners. God moved a man to change the world, and the effects are still being felt today. Unfortunately, the problem today is far worse, as human trafficking is even more prevalent than it was during that time.
Finally, I just found out today that friends from college, who have been waiting a very long time for a child, just received their referral today for a beautiful little girl in China. I cannot stop smiling for them - I'm so excited!! They will both be amazing parents, and of course, we're a little partial to children of Chinese descent! God has showered His blessings on them today and we will continue to pray for this process. It will be May before they bring her home.
One more day with T and then I'm on my own.... it's a little unnerving, but I'll get used to it. I'll be going to an open house about graduate school at Johns Hopkins next weekend and also submitting an application to work as an instructional assistant soon. Next year is shaping up to be different, busy and maybe a little more than I'm ready for. YIKES!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Go-Gurt
I'm sorry, but I'm just NOT a fan of this stuff. First of all, it's the tiniest serving of yogurt you can find. Secondly, pretty much only tiny kids "eat" it. Finally, those tiny kids hardly get any of it into their mouths! I think many moms have given up on it as well, seeing as only one of my preschoolers brings one EVERY week. Today, I think he ate one mouthful, wore probably three mouthfuls and the rest was all over the floor, his shoes, his hands, his chair, my hands, my clothes... Need I say more? If you have a child under the age of 5, skip the go-gurt - at least when they aren't eating at YOUR house!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
An Adventure... In Cooking?
Since T has to use up his use or lose personal days, he's been antsy to go away. It's just a little difficult to do so on such short notice. I OK'd him going anywhere he wants, but it's looking less and less like he will. Instead, he picked up a Rachel Ray cookbook and informed me that he is cooking for us Sunday and Monday. I guess that means he's given up on the idea of flying somewhere tropical or exotic. This will be an adventure - for us, anyway!
Spring is in the Air!
I can literally smell it - I'm SO excited!! I love spring because it means summer is just around the corner. Tonight - thunderstorms!!! I don't know that I'm usually this excited about thunderstorms, but you can't have spring without them, so I'm ready. Of course, this could mean no power, lightening strikes, flooding, tornadoes, but who cares? Bring me spring or summer!!
Word Whammer
We are huge fans of LeapFrog products in this house. We currently own two Leap Pads - one with a microphone, a Leapster, the LeapFrog Explorer Globe and this refrigerator magnet Word Whammer. We bought this for Em about a year and a half ago. At the time, I was a little disappointed the letters were all upper case. Since then, they have come out with a lowercase letter expansion pack, which I haven't bothered to track down.
This Word Whammer game has been on our refrigerator since we got it. Em will occasionally stop and play it, but to be totally honest, I don't really pay attention to it most of the time. Today she's home for the morning, so I told her to give it a try and I was listening while I ate my breakfast. This little game, in the mode she likes, asks kids to find the letters to spell three letter words. There are hundreds of three letter words in it's little database.
This morning the word "war" came up. Now, I'm not an overly sheltering kind of parent, but is that word really appropriate for children that are preschool aged? Em didn't even ask me about the word, she was so busy making it with the letters. When T came in from taking Kt out to the bus, I asked him what he thought (just to be sure I wasn't being overbearing, overprotective and overly critical) and he was shocked as well. I guess we won't be getting the four letter version of this game should it ever come out!
This Word Whammer game has been on our refrigerator since we got it. Em will occasionally stop and play it, but to be totally honest, I don't really pay attention to it most of the time. Today she's home for the morning, so I told her to give it a try and I was listening while I ate my breakfast. This little game, in the mode she likes, asks kids to find the letters to spell three letter words. There are hundreds of three letter words in it's little database.
This morning the word "war" came up. Now, I'm not an overly sheltering kind of parent, but is that word really appropriate for children that are preschool aged? Em didn't even ask me about the word, she was so busy making it with the letters. When T came in from taking Kt out to the bus, I asked him what he thought (just to be sure I wasn't being overbearing, overprotective and overly critical) and he was shocked as well. I guess we won't be getting the four letter version of this game should it ever come out!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
One More Dad Story
I'm including this one at my mom's request. It's worth noting that my mom, by her choice, survived her first school vacation week without my dad at home alone last week. For her Christmas, Winter and Spring Breaks, we have always made it a point to send my mom somewhere, as she and my dad, both teachers, would always scoot off on some vacation adventure. We were actually around for her first weekend of vacation for my sister-in-law's surprise birthday party (I still am waiting for pictures from my brother so I can post about that!) and we tried to get her to come home with us. She chose to stay home, and she survived. She's a brave, strong and courageous woman - really!
Anyway, my dad, who had not one romantic bone in his body (and sometimes I think I married his twin!). One evening my parents were playing the game Scattergories with some friends. Scattergories is the game where you have to list words that start with a certain letter of the alphabet in different categories. That evening, the letter was "G" and my dad had write down something romantic you would say to your significant other. My poor mom, because we all still laugh hysterically when we recall how confidently my father announced that he would romantically call my mother by the word, "Golly"! I mean, by golly, he just didn't get it!! Just another Rudyism!
Anyway, my dad, who had not one romantic bone in his body (and sometimes I think I married his twin!). One evening my parents were playing the game Scattergories with some friends. Scattergories is the game where you have to list words that start with a certain letter of the alphabet in different categories. That evening, the letter was "G" and my dad had write down something romantic you would say to your significant other. My poor mom, because we all still laugh hysterically when we recall how confidently my father announced that he would romantically call my mother by the word, "Golly"! I mean, by golly, he just didn't get it!! Just another Rudyism!
Delicious Dessert
I am not really one to share recipes, mostly because I hardly ever use them! I'm not a big cook because I can't stand all the work and the clean-up. Plus, how many ways can you cook chicken without cheese? That's all my family eats and it's a little redundant!
While in California, my aunt served Angel Food Cake with ice cream. It was delicious!! She also told me that she often buys an angel food cake, cuts it into layers and puts softened mint chocolate chip ice cream in the layers, then frosts the cake with cool whip. Sounded easy, so I gave it a try last night.
I stopped by the grocery store, bought the three ingredients for $10, brought them home and got to work. I also had to clean out my freezer to make room! I must say, this was the easiest and most delicious dessert I've had in a long time!! Everyone loved it. I think it's the perfect dessert to make when you are also planning to serve a large dinner as so little work is needed. Our dessert guests had two pieces!
While in California, my aunt served Angel Food Cake with ice cream. It was delicious!! She also told me that she often buys an angel food cake, cuts it into layers and puts softened mint chocolate chip ice cream in the layers, then frosts the cake with cool whip. Sounded easy, so I gave it a try last night.
I stopped by the grocery store, bought the three ingredients for $10, brought them home and got to work. I also had to clean out my freezer to make room! I must say, this was the easiest and most delicious dessert I've had in a long time!! Everyone loved it. I think it's the perfect dessert to make when you are also planning to serve a large dinner as so little work is needed. Our dessert guests had two pieces!
I Confer
I completely agree with this one. Apparently, before we got married, T told all his female friends that his wife would be the proud owner of a Volvo... I'm still waiting!! But now, I want this:
| You Should Drive a Jaguar XK 4.2 |
 You don't care how you get there as long as you get there with class. And having a little power doesn't hurt either! |
No Vacation at Shengfork
So today is T's first day of "vacation," or the usage of his personal days that he can't cash out. We had dreamed of a little getaway, until we saw the prices. Just not going to happen the same month you go to Disney World! Instead, we have a short getaway planned for a night and the girls are supposed to go to T's parent's house. Today we were going to maybe go out for breakfast, I had a few things to get done, T has a blog assignment so he is watching a couple Willow Creek speakers today, then I have to tutor.... a nice day planned. Then morning came...
Em has the stomach flu AGAIN! About the only good thing I can say about this is that she waited until morning, so no middle of the night illness. Otherwise, it's totally thrown a wrench into the plans. Not to mention, poor girl, today she has Daisies, and yes, I'm the leader and we were planning her investiture for today. What a total mess. Now we will miss that. Will it ever end?
Illness is just not something I deal with very well. I'm thankful we didn't decide to fly somewhere tomorrow like we had originally talked about. T's dad is still finishing up his chemo, so there is just no way I'm taking a sick child over there. Even if she is fine and we do drop them off Friday night, what's to say Kt won't get it?! Oh, so many things to think about.
Well, I'm off to get a few things done today. Sometimes I feel like life is just an endless amount of unfinished work - laundry, dishes, cooking, running errands, cleaning, taking care of sick children... It makes me tired just thinking about it! The scary thing is that we just used up our vacation, so it's just work from here on out! YIKES!
Em has the stomach flu AGAIN! About the only good thing I can say about this is that she waited until morning, so no middle of the night illness. Otherwise, it's totally thrown a wrench into the plans. Not to mention, poor girl, today she has Daisies, and yes, I'm the leader and we were planning her investiture for today. What a total mess. Now we will miss that. Will it ever end?
Illness is just not something I deal with very well. I'm thankful we didn't decide to fly somewhere tomorrow like we had originally talked about. T's dad is still finishing up his chemo, so there is just no way I'm taking a sick child over there. Even if she is fine and we do drop them off Friday night, what's to say Kt won't get it?! Oh, so many things to think about.
Well, I'm off to get a few things done today. Sometimes I feel like life is just an endless amount of unfinished work - laundry, dishes, cooking, running errands, cleaning, taking care of sick children... It makes me tired just thinking about it! The scary thing is that we just used up our vacation, so it's just work from here on out! YIKES!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The Benefits of Staying Home
We all can name many benefits of the privilege of staying home with our children. I have been fortunate to be afforded with this luxury and I definitely enjoyed the many benefits. We slept in a lot, had relaxing days, met with friends, went to uncrowded malls and grocery stores, played in the park when it was nice out and most importantly, I was able to witness many milestones in my children's lives. It has been an incredible journey, and one that I probably don't appreciate as often as I should.
About a month ago, I had about two hours before the girls arrived home from school. I took the opportunity to run to the grocery store. I prefer to go in the morning, but that particular day I ended up there in the afternoon. I had a short list, a typical 30 minute run, in, out and home again. T was heading home early, which was fortunate for me because I had a divine appointment - at least that is what I consider it.
My first stop was the deli and produce. I whizzed through there, picking up what I needed and then made a beeline for the soup aisle. I hate soup. I never buy it unless I need it to make something else. That particular day, I decided to bring home some soup for T as he was not feeling so well and had indicated a particular desire for something like, well, soup! I picked up a few cans and went on my way down the aisle.
As I neared the end of the aisle, there was an elderly man holding a can of spinach right up to his huge magnifying glass which was nearly pressed against his face. He must have sensed my approach because he quickly put down his hands, turned to me and asked, "Excuse me. Can you tell me if this is spinach? I have macular degeneration and I cannot read these words." I took one look at the can of spinach and thought to myself, "How did this guy even get here?" I assured him it was the can he was looking for, he thanked me and off I went.
My train of thought at this point was lending itself to immense curiosity. How did this man get here? He shops? No one helps him?? The farther away I got from him, the more the pangs of guilt built up in me. You see, I love old people. I always have. And more than love them, I'm just innately drawn to them. I had just met an old man in need, I had two hours before my children were to be home.... I just couldn't walk away. As I made my way down the next aisle I just knew I had to go back and make sure this poor fellow was OK. I easily found him, in the soup section, and asked him if I could be of assistance. He again explained his condition to me, obviously having no clue that I was the one who had just helped him.
His name was Joe, his wife was in a nursing home, his adult children lived nearby. His son brings him to the grocery store once a month, so I soon found out that Joe had a LONG list of things he needed. Not only that, he had brought along coupons that he couldn't read. He was quite familiar with the store, where his favorite items were, however many specific details or names of items were incorrect. This made for some interesting hunting on my part. Joe and I wove up and down every single aisle in that store, me telling him where we were, asking if he needed anything, locating exactly what he wanted and filling up his cart. All the while, I was grabbing my own groceries along the way. It was a journey, for me it was a luxury.
At about 3:40, I was finally heading for the checkout line. Joe had insisted that at the end of the frozen food aisle there were double baked potatoes in a blue box with the name "Lays" on them. We had searched high and low for these boxes and could not find them. After I left him in line for checkout, I had to run back to that aisle for waffles before checking out myself. As I was coming down the aisle, I spotted them. "Larry's" was the name, I grabbed a box and headed off for Joe. There he was, checking out with his son, who was surprised that I knew his dad's name, thankful I'd found his potatoes.
I barely made it home on time that day, fortunately T was home so the girls were safe. Two hours in the grocery store helping an old man shop. It was fun, it was a pleasure. I have no idea why that son was not helping his father. He seemed pleasant enough and his father clearly was not shirking help. If it had been my dad, I would have been honored to be able to serve him in that way. I don't really care how annoying he would be, it would be my dad.
The truth is that I will never have that opportunity to help my father when he's old. I won't be able to walk him up and down every aisle so he can get food for himself and his ailing wife in a nursing home. I won't be able to take him to his doctor's appointments or celebrate his 70th birthday with him. But there will be some days in my life when God will quench the thirst in my heart for that opportunity. For whatever reason, He will allow another son or daughter to step aside so that I can do what I've always wanted to - spend an hour or so with an old man or woman. And I will thank him for that luxury.
I recognize that my children and I have reaped many benefits of my choosing to and being able to stay home with them. I also recognize that if I allow him, God can shape my time and use it for His glory in situations I could not even have dreamt up myself. He knew that that moment in time would ease the pain of this time right now, sandwiched between my dad's birthday, February 22nd and the day he died, March 3. In miraculous ways that only He can orchestrate, God gently reminds me during this time that He made a way for us to be with our loved one for eternity, more importantly, with Him. I hope I see Joe there as well, because there he'll be able to see me!
About a month ago, I had about two hours before the girls arrived home from school. I took the opportunity to run to the grocery store. I prefer to go in the morning, but that particular day I ended up there in the afternoon. I had a short list, a typical 30 minute run, in, out and home again. T was heading home early, which was fortunate for me because I had a divine appointment - at least that is what I consider it.
My first stop was the deli and produce. I whizzed through there, picking up what I needed and then made a beeline for the soup aisle. I hate soup. I never buy it unless I need it to make something else. That particular day, I decided to bring home some soup for T as he was not feeling so well and had indicated a particular desire for something like, well, soup! I picked up a few cans and went on my way down the aisle.
As I neared the end of the aisle, there was an elderly man holding a can of spinach right up to his huge magnifying glass which was nearly pressed against his face. He must have sensed my approach because he quickly put down his hands, turned to me and asked, "Excuse me. Can you tell me if this is spinach? I have macular degeneration and I cannot read these words." I took one look at the can of spinach and thought to myself, "How did this guy even get here?" I assured him it was the can he was looking for, he thanked me and off I went.
My train of thought at this point was lending itself to immense curiosity. How did this man get here? He shops? No one helps him?? The farther away I got from him, the more the pangs of guilt built up in me. You see, I love old people. I always have. And more than love them, I'm just innately drawn to them. I had just met an old man in need, I had two hours before my children were to be home.... I just couldn't walk away. As I made my way down the next aisle I just knew I had to go back and make sure this poor fellow was OK. I easily found him, in the soup section, and asked him if I could be of assistance. He again explained his condition to me, obviously having no clue that I was the one who had just helped him.
His name was Joe, his wife was in a nursing home, his adult children lived nearby. His son brings him to the grocery store once a month, so I soon found out that Joe had a LONG list of things he needed. Not only that, he had brought along coupons that he couldn't read. He was quite familiar with the store, where his favorite items were, however many specific details or names of items were incorrect. This made for some interesting hunting on my part. Joe and I wove up and down every single aisle in that store, me telling him where we were, asking if he needed anything, locating exactly what he wanted and filling up his cart. All the while, I was grabbing my own groceries along the way. It was a journey, for me it was a luxury.
At about 3:40, I was finally heading for the checkout line. Joe had insisted that at the end of the frozen food aisle there were double baked potatoes in a blue box with the name "Lays" on them. We had searched high and low for these boxes and could not find them. After I left him in line for checkout, I had to run back to that aisle for waffles before checking out myself. As I was coming down the aisle, I spotted them. "Larry's" was the name, I grabbed a box and headed off for Joe. There he was, checking out with his son, who was surprised that I knew his dad's name, thankful I'd found his potatoes.
I barely made it home on time that day, fortunately T was home so the girls were safe. Two hours in the grocery store helping an old man shop. It was fun, it was a pleasure. I have no idea why that son was not helping his father. He seemed pleasant enough and his father clearly was not shirking help. If it had been my dad, I would have been honored to be able to serve him in that way. I don't really care how annoying he would be, it would be my dad.
The truth is that I will never have that opportunity to help my father when he's old. I won't be able to walk him up and down every aisle so he can get food for himself and his ailing wife in a nursing home. I won't be able to take him to his doctor's appointments or celebrate his 70th birthday with him. But there will be some days in my life when God will quench the thirst in my heart for that opportunity. For whatever reason, He will allow another son or daughter to step aside so that I can do what I've always wanted to - spend an hour or so with an old man or woman. And I will thank him for that luxury.
I recognize that my children and I have reaped many benefits of my choosing to and being able to stay home with them. I also recognize that if I allow him, God can shape my time and use it for His glory in situations I could not even have dreamt up myself. He knew that that moment in time would ease the pain of this time right now, sandwiched between my dad's birthday, February 22nd and the day he died, March 3. In miraculous ways that only He can orchestrate, God gently reminds me during this time that He made a way for us to be with our loved one for eternity, more importantly, with Him. I hope I see Joe there as well, because there he'll be able to see me!
Just Call Me Erudite!
I'm only posting this because I'm shocked... I usually don't do so well on these "test your grade level" quizzes, so the vocab one threw me for a loop.
On a funny note, does anyone remember junior high level Warriner's grammar books? I hated those!
| Your Vocabulary Score: A |
 Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person. |
On a funny note, does anyone remember junior high level Warriner's grammar books? I hated those!
How Quickly We Forget
I cringe whenever I read articles about extending the length of a school day. Are we all so old that we can't remember how long the days were as children? Are we so overworked now that we think nothing of subjecting small children to the same painful fate they will soon have to endure? Will adding 1.5 hours to a school day really make a difference? What really bothers me more is the movement in public education to "take over" for parenting. Full day kindergarten, year round schooling, longer school days say one thing and one thing only to me - FREE DAYCARE!
I recently received an email from another parent who urged parents to complain because the county added two half days to next year's schedule. The reasoning for the addition was that with the No Child Left Behind guidelines and standards, teachers are now in need of more planning and paperwork time. Adding two half days in two different quarters will give them that added time. I'm completely in agreement with this. This parent, however, forwarded a letter she sent to the Board of Education asking them to instead make the two half days one professional day because it was easier for her to find childcare for a full day instead of two half days.
Honestly, if I were a board member, my first thought would be, "Do you think that's any concern of mine?" Of course, that's me. Someone making these decisions must be thinking more of these parents because I have a kindergartener who attends 6.5 hours of school everyday, who is completely exhausted after 2 full days, and unconsolable after 5 straight days of that. The assurance I had from the seasoned kindergarten teachers was that with a full day, the atmosphere would be more "relaxed" than the half-day. After nearly three quarters, I beg to differ!! We receive the same requests to do flashcards, complete math activities, read at home with our children, yet when my daughter steps off the bus at 4 pm, she needs a BREAK! What 6 year old wouldn't? I give her that break to decompress, then we eat dinner, take baths and that leaves about 1/2 an hour of time with daddy. Who has time to do anything else? It's seriously a pressure cooker.
So, the big question.... is there a trade off for this 8 hour school day? I dread the thought of not seeing my children for that long each day, so you can't impress me with the free childcare issue. Will they endure 8 hours of "education" and then have homework? Now that would just be the ultimate insult! Would they be smarter? Doubtful, and I've read plenty of information which suggests that even a longer school year would not improve the intelligence of children. I guess the bottom line here is that I'll never be convinced. Surely, this kind of direction in education would convince me that homeschooling is an option!
I'll go out on a limb here and suggest this: if we want to improve the quality of our children's education, we will not leave it entirely in the hands of people who just want themselves to look better. We will get involved, we take the initiative, we will foster educational values at home. Parents are the ones who need to take back some of this responsibility and professional workplaces ought to recognize a parent's committment to the education of their children by allowing the time off needed, supporting parents in attending special events or field trips and contributing to educational institutes. Our nation's professional world has the means and ability to support parents and it's about time they did that!
This year has been a time of thought and decision making for me. There is a part of me that would love to return to a "real job" and actually contribute to the family finances. Then there is another part of me who reads emails from or listens to the anxiety of friends searching for daycare/summer care/afterschool care for their children and I'm thankful for not having that extra added burden. I really want my kids to come first, of course that includes being able to finance higher education for them (I'm not that short-sighted!). I would love for there to be a workable solution for the predicament we find ourselves in, but an 8 hour school day? To me, that is just ridiculous! If there is one thing I can do for my children in their lifetime, I'm hoping it will be the decrease the amount of time they are confined to a classroom and increase the amount of time they are experiencing the world.
I recently received an email from another parent who urged parents to complain because the county added two half days to next year's schedule. The reasoning for the addition was that with the No Child Left Behind guidelines and standards, teachers are now in need of more planning and paperwork time. Adding two half days in two different quarters will give them that added time. I'm completely in agreement with this. This parent, however, forwarded a letter she sent to the Board of Education asking them to instead make the two half days one professional day because it was easier for her to find childcare for a full day instead of two half days.
Honestly, if I were a board member, my first thought would be, "Do you think that's any concern of mine?" Of course, that's me. Someone making these decisions must be thinking more of these parents because I have a kindergartener who attends 6.5 hours of school everyday, who is completely exhausted after 2 full days, and unconsolable after 5 straight days of that. The assurance I had from the seasoned kindergarten teachers was that with a full day, the atmosphere would be more "relaxed" than the half-day. After nearly three quarters, I beg to differ!! We receive the same requests to do flashcards, complete math activities, read at home with our children, yet when my daughter steps off the bus at 4 pm, she needs a BREAK! What 6 year old wouldn't? I give her that break to decompress, then we eat dinner, take baths and that leaves about 1/2 an hour of time with daddy. Who has time to do anything else? It's seriously a pressure cooker.
So, the big question.... is there a trade off for this 8 hour school day? I dread the thought of not seeing my children for that long each day, so you can't impress me with the free childcare issue. Will they endure 8 hours of "education" and then have homework? Now that would just be the ultimate insult! Would they be smarter? Doubtful, and I've read plenty of information which suggests that even a longer school year would not improve the intelligence of children. I guess the bottom line here is that I'll never be convinced. Surely, this kind of direction in education would convince me that homeschooling is an option!
I'll go out on a limb here and suggest this: if we want to improve the quality of our children's education, we will not leave it entirely in the hands of people who just want themselves to look better. We will get involved, we take the initiative, we will foster educational values at home. Parents are the ones who need to take back some of this responsibility and professional workplaces ought to recognize a parent's committment to the education of their children by allowing the time off needed, supporting parents in attending special events or field trips and contributing to educational institutes. Our nation's professional world has the means and ability to support parents and it's about time they did that!
This year has been a time of thought and decision making for me. There is a part of me that would love to return to a "real job" and actually contribute to the family finances. Then there is another part of me who reads emails from or listens to the anxiety of friends searching for daycare/summer care/afterschool care for their children and I'm thankful for not having that extra added burden. I really want my kids to come first, of course that includes being able to finance higher education for them (I'm not that short-sighted!). I would love for there to be a workable solution for the predicament we find ourselves in, but an 8 hour school day? To me, that is just ridiculous! If there is one thing I can do for my children in their lifetime, I'm hoping it will be the decrease the amount of time they are confined to a classroom and increase the amount of time they are experiencing the world.
Garage Doors
I came across this article on what I would consider an incident of horrific proportions! Apparently, in Quantico (our distant neighbor), Virginia the Marine base sent out a strong radio signal that warranted neighboring garage door openers useless. I'm so glad it wasn't strong enough to reach my home! My garage door opener is the key to my house. I'm not even sure I have my key in my purse. Had this happened to us, it may have left me stranded without a home.
It reminded me of a morning just after we'd moved in. Our first home was a townhouse with no driveway or garage. Neither T nor I grew up with garages, so this home is our first with one. I don't think we'd been here a month or two when we woke up to a power outage. As if that wasn't bad enough, we didn't know how to open our garage doors without the opener!! What a hysterical sight - two grown adults running around with no lights, no hair dryers, no hot water trying to figure out how to get out of the house.
We finally figured out how to pull on that red cord to unlock the opener and then open the door. The problem then - we were not able to shut them! I've never felt so stupid or helpless in my life. Probably the most embarrassing thing about this story - I still have no idea how to shut my garage door without that remote!
It reminded me of a morning just after we'd moved in. Our first home was a townhouse with no driveway or garage. Neither T nor I grew up with garages, so this home is our first with one. I don't think we'd been here a month or two when we woke up to a power outage. As if that wasn't bad enough, we didn't know how to open our garage doors without the opener!! What a hysterical sight - two grown adults running around with no lights, no hair dryers, no hot water trying to figure out how to get out of the house.
We finally figured out how to pull on that red cord to unlock the opener and then open the door. The problem then - we were not able to shut them! I've never felt so stupid or helpless in my life. Probably the most embarrassing thing about this story - I still have no idea how to shut my garage door without that remote!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Puppy Love?
I don't know what this means, whether it's a hint that he wants to play, a sign that he's finally in love with his little sister or if he's just keeping an eye on her. Everytime I enter the kitchen, Calvin is sitting, like a duck with his paws tucked under him, right by Phoebe's crate! When she's out, you'd think she was his arch nemesis by the way he growls, barks and avoids her. When I have to put her in her crate, he won't leave her side. I guess we'll just call it an odd case of Puppy Love!
Changes
Well, since T let the cat out of the bag, I can finally let loose. It's been nearly 2 years since his first interview for his new job. We have tried to be patient, have lost our patience, have renewed our patience and finally had some of our leftover patience pay off. While T is quite excited about his new job, I'm completely anxious about it - you could pray with me.
Having this new job means huge changes for me, namely having a less flexible schedule. I have always been able to count on him working from home if I had a doctor's appointment or being able to get off early if I needed help getting the girls to appointments. I also count on him to be home on Fridays, the day I work, in case the girls are sick, which has happened frequently, or we all have a late open, which has also happened. I can no longer count on that.
My other major concern is medical insurance. Since I have "pre-existing" conditions, I have no idea what the change to new insurance will mean for me. I already know that we can choose an insurance plan that my doctor is listed under, but I have no idea what else to expect. Seeing as one of my pre-existing conditions is high blood pressure, this is not helping one iota. I am trusting God will work out the details, but I have been unable to control the acute anxiety I've had over this issue.
Finally, given the nature of his job, I'm guessing I'll have less communication with him during the day than I do now. I can pretty much call or IM T all day long. In fact, I could be the most annoying wife on this planet if I choose to, but I think we are pretty responsible with our time. What will I do when I can't complain to him about cleaning up after his dogs? (LOL - just an example of how happy he might be about this change!)
The things I'm looking forward to are the hopefully lack of middle of the night calls, all nighters he has to pull that always make him sick, his complaining about.... well, I won't go there, but I think he'll be happier in this next work environment. He will be working closer to home and there is even the chance that I can join a pool somewhere for a discounted rate - that would be worth the move in and of itself!
It's been difficult not sharing some of our more stressful times over this job situation, but it's nice that we can now openly share some of what the past two years have held for us. Once the new job starts, we'll go back in the hole about professional life - it's just better that way! If you want, you can go congratulate him on finally moving on!
Having this new job means huge changes for me, namely having a less flexible schedule. I have always been able to count on him working from home if I had a doctor's appointment or being able to get off early if I needed help getting the girls to appointments. I also count on him to be home on Fridays, the day I work, in case the girls are sick, which has happened frequently, or we all have a late open, which has also happened. I can no longer count on that.
My other major concern is medical insurance. Since I have "pre-existing" conditions, I have no idea what the change to new insurance will mean for me. I already know that we can choose an insurance plan that my doctor is listed under, but I have no idea what else to expect. Seeing as one of my pre-existing conditions is high blood pressure, this is not helping one iota. I am trusting God will work out the details, but I have been unable to control the acute anxiety I've had over this issue.
Finally, given the nature of his job, I'm guessing I'll have less communication with him during the day than I do now. I can pretty much call or IM T all day long. In fact, I could be the most annoying wife on this planet if I choose to, but I think we are pretty responsible with our time. What will I do when I can't complain to him about cleaning up after his dogs? (LOL - just an example of how happy he might be about this change!)
The things I'm looking forward to are the hopefully lack of middle of the night calls, all nighters he has to pull that always make him sick, his complaining about.... well, I won't go there, but I think he'll be happier in this next work environment. He will be working closer to home and there is even the chance that I can join a pool somewhere for a discounted rate - that would be worth the move in and of itself!
It's been difficult not sharing some of our more stressful times over this job situation, but it's nice that we can now openly share some of what the past two years have held for us. Once the new job starts, we'll go back in the hole about professional life - it's just better that way! If you want, you can go congratulate him on finally moving on!
Kind of Funny
Poor Jennifer Garner!
| Your Musical Tastes Match: Jennifer Garner |
 See her whole playlist here (iTunes required) |
Snow Delay
For all that snow and ice, the girls still have school today! Just two hours late, which is fine by me. I'm just glad we won't be bemoaning this storm in June. It still looks like a winter wonderland out there, but T assures me it's just wet, no ice. I might even venture out myself!
Tommy
Before I head to bed, I just had to share one last "fashion" story with you about my dad. He was never a kin to high fashion, low fashion or any fashion for that matter. Brand names? He was totally generic in every way. My mother shared with us one summer that as they sat at the beach, my father noticed a boy wearing a shirt that proclaimed in very large letters "Tommy". He said to my mom, "Wow! Look, that boy must be a Tommy." My mom, rolling her eyes and shaking her head snuffed, "No, HIS name is not Tommy. The guy designed the shirt is Tommy Hilfiger!" My dad just did his Ernie (Sesame Street) laugh at himself.
Not long after that, my father came home proudly with a pair of Tommy clam digger shorts. They were kakhi, down to his knees and had he wished, he could have even worn them to show off his underwear. Again, my mom rolled her eyes and informed him that for a teenager, those shorts might be appropriate. For his college aged son who wouldn't be caught dead in them they would even pass. But, for a 50 year old teacher they were just completely unwarranted! He loved those shorts, and he wore them with dignity right up to the end. I even saved them for a long time as a remembrance that my father couldn't care less whose name was on the clothing, but sometimes he cared that we cared.
Not long after that, my father came home proudly with a pair of Tommy clam digger shorts. They were kakhi, down to his knees and had he wished, he could have even worn them to show off his underwear. Again, my mom rolled her eyes and informed him that for a teenager, those shorts might be appropriate. For his college aged son who wouldn't be caught dead in them they would even pass. But, for a 50 year old teacher they were just completely unwarranted! He loved those shorts, and he wore them with dignity right up to the end. I even saved them for a long time as a remembrance that my father couldn't care less whose name was on the clothing, but sometimes he cared that we cared.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
My Dad - again!:-)
Since I'm kind of stuck home, with various pieces of furniture floating around my house, I figured I'd take a break and write a little post about my dad. I have located the slide show we used at his memorial service and it seriously made me laugh. You can't look at my dad and not have a smile rise on your face. He was such a quirky, shameless man of unique taste and habits. After he died, it was so funny to listen to the various memories and stories people told of him. Each one revealed an oddity, a passionate eccentricity that my father embodied and lavished on all who knew him. Just for the sake of this post, we'll call them "Rudyisms".
Rudyism #1 - Fashion faux pas - never!! My father was known to wear shirts inside out for an entire day teaching, wear two different shoes, dress in plaids AND patterns at the same time and his knee high socks were a staple, even when wearing shorts. True story - when I was in college, my mom let it slip that my dad was looking at a car for me. The dealer might call while they were out for breakfast that Saturday morning, but I was not to know. Of course, they forgot to tell me where, so when that dealer called and I had to track them down, I called The Pie Plate and said, "I'm looking for a man who is likely wearing a blue striped shirt, light blue shorts with a red and white striped belt and knee high socks with sneakers." Without hesitation the woman replied, "Yup, I see him!" Embarrassing, but true, he stuck out like a sore thumb and he had no qualms about it! Add a large and bulky pair of sunglasses to the mix and he was pretty sure he was ready for GQ (which in his case stood for Grossly Quirky!).
Rudyism #2 - Waving for pictures is the in thing! Our entire trip to Hawaii I believe my dad waved for nearly every picture, including the one of him snorkeling. In that photo, he managed to wave both hands above the water! I'm not really sure if he was saying hi to you, the viewer, or if he was making sure the person behind the camera could see him, would center him and not the girls sunbathing, as was his own MO. I mean, really dad, who could miss those tube socks?
Rudyism #3 - The smirk. It was so funny looking through the slide show and seeing the pictures of him as a child. He perfected the smirk, otherwise known as the "Lovegren glare", as a youngster no doubt. It's even noticeable in his baby pictures! My father was kind enough to pass this one along to his three children and it's already evident that at least three of his grandchildren have almost perfected it as well. Now that is a feat.
Rudyism #4 - Herman and Henrietta. They are the two characters he made out of his hands. I thought he created them for me, but I found this one picture where he's just having a little discussion with them before I was old enough to be entertained by them. I wonder where they came from? Oh, the things we miss asking when we lose someone too early! The picture is a classic, and I'm so glad that I found it.
Rudyism #5 - I'm going to lump his overwhelming interests into one ism - they include money, history, education, the Bible, weather and science fiction anything. If you happen to open up a conversation involving any of those things, he would talk both your ears off and move on to the next victim. Now, you are probably thinking, "Why would I ever talk about any of those things?" My father had this uncanny way of turning any subject matter into something related to his favorite subjects, that is, if he wanted to talk. There was only one thing that could distract my father away from long, drawn out yet intriguing conversation....
Rudyism #6 - If there was a way to implant a remote control into your hand, my father would have been the first volunteer for this new, ingenius science! My father would not be caught dead without his remote control. We even saved one that had the buttons worn down so far they didn't work anymore!! Probably one of my most hysterical memories was when my brother hid in the kitchen with the universal remote and behind my fathers back would change the channels just after he did. My father became furious at his malfunctioning remote until he realized we were all laughing behind him. Good thing we were older, because as children the golden rule in our home was "never mess with Daddy and his TV!"
While it may sound very insensitive of me having fun with my dad's memory, I must tell you that he was extremely proud of each and every one of his unique characteristics. He honed them, perfected them and shared them with everyone. If I opened this post up to his family and friends, you would be shocked at the Rudyisms and the fact that each person would recognize that my father himself would have been overjoyed to be recognized in this way. You see, my father had a unique ability to not allow what other people thought of him get in the way of him enjoying life and living the way he chose. Certain things mattered to him in life and everything and everybody else just didn't interfere with that. He took our advice to heart, chuckled along with us or basically ignored the things he didn't believe. If he wanted to wear flower shorts and knee highs, he was going to do that!
Rudyism #1 - Fashion faux pas - never!! My father was known to wear shirts inside out for an entire day teaching, wear two different shoes, dress in plaids AND patterns at the same time and his knee high socks were a staple, even when wearing shorts. True story - when I was in college, my mom let it slip that my dad was looking at a car for me. The dealer might call while they were out for breakfast that Saturday morning, but I was not to know. Of course, they forgot to tell me where, so when that dealer called and I had to track them down, I called The Pie Plate and said, "I'm looking for a man who is likely wearing a blue striped shirt, light blue shorts with a red and white striped belt and knee high socks with sneakers." Without hesitation the woman replied, "Yup, I see him!" Embarrassing, but true, he stuck out like a sore thumb and he had no qualms about it! Add a large and bulky pair of sunglasses to the mix and he was pretty sure he was ready for GQ (which in his case stood for Grossly Quirky!).
Rudyism #2 - Waving for pictures is the in thing! Our entire trip to Hawaii I believe my dad waved for nearly every picture, including the one of him snorkeling. In that photo, he managed to wave both hands above the water! I'm not really sure if he was saying hi to you, the viewer, or if he was making sure the person behind the camera could see him, would center him and not the girls sunbathing, as was his own MO. I mean, really dad, who could miss those tube socks?
Rudyism #3 - The smirk. It was so funny looking through the slide show and seeing the pictures of him as a child. He perfected the smirk, otherwise known as the "Lovegren glare", as a youngster no doubt. It's even noticeable in his baby pictures! My father was kind enough to pass this one along to his three children and it's already evident that at least three of his grandchildren have almost perfected it as well. Now that is a feat.Rudyism #4 - Herman and Henrietta. They are the two characters he made out of his hands. I thought he created them for me, but I found this one picture where he's just having a little discussion with them before I was old enough to be entertained by them. I wonder where they came from? Oh, the things we miss asking when we lose someone too early! The picture is a classic, and I'm so glad that I found it.
Rudyism #5 - I'm going to lump his overwhelming interests into one ism - they include money, history, education, the Bible, weather and science fiction anything. If you happen to open up a conversation involving any of those things, he would talk both your ears off and move on to the next victim. Now, you are probably thinking, "Why would I ever talk about any of those things?" My father had this uncanny way of turning any subject matter into something related to his favorite subjects, that is, if he wanted to talk. There was only one thing that could distract my father away from long, drawn out yet intriguing conversation....
Rudyism #6 - If there was a way to implant a remote control into your hand, my father would have been the first volunteer for this new, ingenius science! My father would not be caught dead without his remote control. We even saved one that had the buttons worn down so far they didn't work anymore!! Probably one of my most hysterical memories was when my brother hid in the kitchen with the universal remote and behind my fathers back would change the channels just after he did. My father became furious at his malfunctioning remote until he realized we were all laughing behind him. Good thing we were older, because as children the golden rule in our home was "never mess with Daddy and his TV!"
While it may sound very insensitive of me having fun with my dad's memory, I must tell you that he was extremely proud of each and every one of his unique characteristics. He honed them, perfected them and shared them with everyone. If I opened this post up to his family and friends, you would be shocked at the Rudyisms and the fact that each person would recognize that my father himself would have been overjoyed to be recognized in this way. You see, my father had a unique ability to not allow what other people thought of him get in the way of him enjoying life and living the way he chose. Certain things mattered to him in life and everything and everybody else just didn't interfere with that. He took our advice to heart, chuckled along with us or basically ignored the things he didn't believe. If he wanted to wear flower shorts and knee highs, he was going to do that!
Truly a Snow Event!
Here's the proof:
We've got front yard, back yard and girls heading to the neighbors to sled! It's just snow, no ice... YET! We know that's coming, so it'll basically be a snow sandwich. We have leftover ice from all the ice melting, filled with snow and then our last layer of ice on top. Will my children ever grace the doors of public school again?? Thank goodness it's the weekend!
We've got front yard, back yard and girls heading to the neighbors to sled! It's just snow, no ice... YET! We know that's coming, so it'll basically be a snow sandwich. We have leftover ice from all the ice melting, filled with snow and then our last layer of ice on top. Will my children ever grace the doors of public school again?? Thank goodness it's the weekend!
Snowing again..
Yes, it's true. Just as the ice was finally melting from Valentine's Day, we are being bombarded once again. It began snowing around 9:30, 5 hours after scheduled, and it's just snow! Our weather reports had said wintry mix, but I'd say for the past hour we've ended up with about 1/2 an inch. It's crazy!
T had to run something up to church for me this morning. At that time, there were plenty of people there because it was doing nothing outside. An hour later, a friend of ours called and said they were sending people home from church so not to bother coming. I'm glad someone had the good sense to do that as many of our church members come from far away places (no, I don't mean Mars!). Our pastor, for one, travels quite far, so it's a good idea to make sure he gets home safely!
Yesterday was a pretty good clean up day. We'll have to straighten out a bit again, but I'm thinking today ought to be a family day. Games, movies, family stuff... I can't think of a better time to do all that than when you are stuck at home in the snow. If this all really does turn to ice, which it likely will since it's 35 degrees outside, chances are we are in for another round of snow days. Our hope for getting out of school on a decent date in June is dimishing with each and every snowflake or freezing raindrop! Groundhog, I want my early spring!
T had to run something up to church for me this morning. At that time, there were plenty of people there because it was doing nothing outside. An hour later, a friend of ours called and said they were sending people home from church so not to bother coming. I'm glad someone had the good sense to do that as many of our church members come from far away places (no, I don't mean Mars!). Our pastor, for one, travels quite far, so it's a good idea to make sure he gets home safely!
Yesterday was a pretty good clean up day. We'll have to straighten out a bit again, but I'm thinking today ought to be a family day. Games, movies, family stuff... I can't think of a better time to do all that than when you are stuck at home in the snow. If this all really does turn to ice, which it likely will since it's 35 degrees outside, chances are we are in for another round of snow days. Our hope for getting out of school on a decent date in June is dimishing with each and every snowflake or freezing raindrop! Groundhog, I want my early spring!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Once Again!
On the eve of yet another ice storm, this is where I wish to be!!
| You Belong in Summer |
 Energetic, creative, and very curious about the world... You're not going to let anything hold you back, especially a cold day. Whether you're chilling out at the beach or partying all night, you live for the warm weather. |
Me Again!
| Cheese Pizza |
 Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others. |
Housecleaning
Yup, that's what we're doing today... that and hosting friends. After cleaning every nook and cranny that we can, we are going to allow more little girls over to mess it all up again. And the cycle continues!
Last night, I took Em to Girl Scout Thinking Day. The older scouts organized a great evening all about Russia. I have to admit, it was a little much for the Daisies, and if I had it to do over again, which I won't!, I would not recommend it for them. They had fun amidst the moaning, I'm quite sure of it! Kt missed last night as she was home sick yesterday. She would have LOVED the whole evening.
In thinking about cleaning up my house, I am reminded of all the things I would love to do around here. There's a long list of things we don't need but would love to have, hardwood floors, new kitchen, finished basement, new windows, landscaping (especially after having our front yard with it's bushes hauled away after our sewer issue!), painting. The list is long, the cost is out the roof - sorry for the pun, but it is intended, except that we just had a new roof put on last fall, so I'd like to keep that intact for a while!
So I pose this question, to myself and anyone reading, do we pick one of our projects to improve this old house or do we save our money to take our girls on this summer's mission's trip? The cost of the trip for all four of us to go will come close to the cost of hardwood floors. While it's difficult to really put a price on the impact we can make in the world for Christ, I want to get the most bang for my buck! I could wait YEARS for hardwood floors, that's not a huge "sacrifice" for me. But when I compare the two I wonder... I'm tempted to skip the floors to impact my two daughters. Just working through this thought process...
Well, off to clean, whistle while I work and think about God's plan for this summer. Cleaning can be a scary thing!
Last night, I took Em to Girl Scout Thinking Day. The older scouts organized a great evening all about Russia. I have to admit, it was a little much for the Daisies, and if I had it to do over again, which I won't!, I would not recommend it for them. They had fun amidst the moaning, I'm quite sure of it! Kt missed last night as she was home sick yesterday. She would have LOVED the whole evening.
In thinking about cleaning up my house, I am reminded of all the things I would love to do around here. There's a long list of things we don't need but would love to have, hardwood floors, new kitchen, finished basement, new windows, landscaping (especially after having our front yard with it's bushes hauled away after our sewer issue!), painting. The list is long, the cost is out the roof - sorry for the pun, but it is intended, except that we just had a new roof put on last fall, so I'd like to keep that intact for a while!
So I pose this question, to myself and anyone reading, do we pick one of our projects to improve this old house or do we save our money to take our girls on this summer's mission's trip? The cost of the trip for all four of us to go will come close to the cost of hardwood floors. While it's difficult to really put a price on the impact we can make in the world for Christ, I want to get the most bang for my buck! I could wait YEARS for hardwood floors, that's not a huge "sacrifice" for me. But when I compare the two I wonder... I'm tempted to skip the floors to impact my two daughters. Just working through this thought process...
Well, off to clean, whistle while I work and think about God's plan for this summer. Cleaning can be a scary thing!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Secretly Hoping...
well, it's not a secret now! The wind is howling excessively outside, rattling our windows, throwing the grill around the backyard and rumor has it (if you read weather.com like I do!) that there may be widespread power outages. I'm hoping for one of those, because two weeks in a row off from teaching those three year olds just doesn't seem long enough! LOL Here's to hoping for no school in a certain county tomorrow!
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 63. He would have been retired by now and he and my mom would probably be living somewhere in Virginia or North Carolina. At least that was the plan. T had agreed that if they retired and moved down here that we would move closer to them, so that was our plan. I don't know if we would have done that or they would have done that, but I know now that will never happen.
Sometimes, we think we have the perfect plan. I would LOVE to live near my family. Instead, my mom and brother and sister-in-law live 5 hours to the north and my sister lives 9 hours to the south. That's in no traffic! I'm stuck in the middle, 3 hours away from the nearest beach, too far north to be warm but too far south to be close to my mom. I liked my plan, but I guess I'll have to come up with another one or just wait to see what God's plan is.
So, my dad. 63, and would have been loving life as a retired grandpa. He now has two more grandchildren whom he has never met. He also has a new car - and apparently he is still getting some mail! Just next week, it will be 4 years since he went to heaven. In some ways I can't believe it's been that long. In other ways, I feel like I just saw him, talked to him and hugged him yesterday. We would have celebrated our birthdays together as usual, or he would have whisked my mom off on some cross country adventure. I can still hear him saying to me, "Stay busy." I guess I listened!
I don't really think saying that I miss my dad really covers the range of my feelings. It's so much more than missing or wishing he was still here. When I think of all the things he has missed it makes me grieve for him, for us, for me. When I think of where he is now, I am humbled to realize that the plan for our lives is so much bigger than here, now, earth and our temporary bodies. Life everlasting. It's so much better than life temporal.
Happy Birthday, Daddy! I'll see you soon!
Picture: My dad's dream was to retire in a house on a lake. This is him vacationing on Lovell Pond in Maine.
Here's a little story Em just wrote about Pabu. He died just after her second birthday, so she does not remember much!
Today was Pabu’s birthday. He’s turning 63. He died already and he’s in heaven. But I want him to come back. But when I die he’s going to be up there waiting for me. Pabu was my best grandfather. He loved to eat M&M’s with us and he had his own chair. His chair is pink and I don’t know why because he’s a boy. And his chair - the bottom of it can come up and it can also massage, it can like vibrate or something. The End.
EZ Pass Woes
Apparently, using an EZ Pass in Maryland can be a problem. It never has been for us, unless we use it in someone else's car! I still cannot stand EZ Pass people who go through the 10-15 mph EZ Pass lane and stop dead in the booth - that absolutely drives me crazy!! If you want to stop, go through a regular lane! Eventually, there will be a catastrophic accident due to one of those bozos!
After reading this article, though, we'll have to check our EZ Pass bill!
After reading this article, though, we'll have to check our EZ Pass bill!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Bizarre Bigbearfoot Story
This one is just excruciatingly bizarre. It goes from bad, to really bad to completely unbelievable! It wasn't worth mentioning until I read this:
Now, how can we take anything these guys say seriously??
Fonseca has another project in the works that might be of note to Bigfoot watchers on local highways. He is using fake fur and a mannequin to make a gorilla-like creation for a customer who plans to carry it in the passenger seat of his jeep.
Now, how can we take anything these guys say seriously??
Just As I Thought!
| You Are Mexican Food |
 Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you. |
HEATWAVE!
One of my Christmas presents was an indoor/outdoor thermometer, so now I know while I'm in bed if it's even worth it to crawl out from under my sheets! Today I'm out because it's 9:45 am and it's already 55 degrees. This is a major heatwave for us - Yippee! Now maybe, FINALLY, some of that ice will melt!
JetBlue
I am sad about all this JetBlue news lately. We've had some awesome experience with that airline. Em even asked us before flying Southwest if there would be TV's on our seats! We flew JetBlue to and back from LA last summer and experienced no delays, wonderful service and great flights.
My brother and his wife flew JetBlue from NYC to Seattle, missing their first flight due to traffic. JetBlue actually rebooked them for us through me on a phone with my brother, while he was in deadlock traffic, and JetBlue. No penalty, just rebooked them on a flight out the next morning. I was really impressed with how simple that transaction was. On their return flight, they also had a wonderful experience with being rebooked due to the fluke NY region power outage. Again, no issues.
This is not to say that if I sat on a runway in a JetBlue plane for 8 hours I wouldn't complain, but isn't that partly the airport's fault? I would be quite sad if JetBlue went under as I much prefer their cheaper flights with assigned seating over Southwest, who give me nausea instead of pleasure with their "seating policy"!
My brother and his wife flew JetBlue from NYC to Seattle, missing their first flight due to traffic. JetBlue actually rebooked them for us through me on a phone with my brother, while he was in deadlock traffic, and JetBlue. No penalty, just rebooked them on a flight out the next morning. I was really impressed with how simple that transaction was. On their return flight, they also had a wonderful experience with being rebooked due to the fluke NY region power outage. Again, no issues.
This is not to say that if I sat on a runway in a JetBlue plane for 8 hours I wouldn't complain, but isn't that partly the airport's fault? I would be quite sad if JetBlue went under as I much prefer their cheaper flights with assigned seating over Southwest, who give me nausea instead of pleasure with their "seating policy"!
Last Sunny Florida Day
On our last day in Orlando, we slept in a bit, said goodbye to the zebras and went on our way to the Magic Kingdom. We had a short list, as we'd been there Thursday night already. For a Sunday in early February, the place was completely packed! Not to mention, after a day with dream fastpasses, we collected as many as we could because waiting in line was just not an option for us!
We fit in all our favorites, including The Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean (very long line!), Aladdin's Magic Carpet, the Carousel and the Mad Hatter's Tea Cup rides. We also rode the People Mover and laughing hysterically when the woman said, "Paging Tom Morrow, Paging Mr. Tom Morrow" - we are cheesy joke lovers I guess!
We also allowed the girls to ride the Barnstormer kids roller coaster together without us. I have to say that this was a little nerveracking for me again, but they did so well at Sea World... Of course, we kept an eye out for them in line and made sure they could see us. At one point, with a bunch of other adults around us and several in line, Em yelled to us, "All the other kids have their parents in line with them!" and then put on this wonderful pouty face for us! Way to make your parents feel great at WDW! They survived and loved the ride, no parents necessary.
After roaming the park for most of the day with groups of cheerleaders from the National Cheerleading competition and builders who had attended the National Builders Conference in Orlando that week, we were spent. We actually left the park a bit early and even forgot to pick up our free picture. I have to say, I really enjoy staying at Disney longer with hopper passes so we can split those long days in half! For this trip, though, we just had to say enough is enough. Our poor little feet were screaming for the end. We said goodbye to the mouse and Cinderella and our week in Florida.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Prayer
With a few minutes left on my birthday, I'm asking that you pray for this family and little Emily. There is nothing worse than a child in pain and not knowing the cause. Also for Matt's family tomorrow... please Lord, touch these families with your mercy and grace.
Birthday Verdict
We've reached a decision on the Macbook vs. iMac case: we are returning the Macbook and waiting... until we know exactly what we are doing with our family room, our computer that is on it's last legs and my desk situation. Today, the box with the Macbook in it served as an excellent laptop desk! I'll be sorry to see it go!
For the rest of my birthday, after I did the grocery shopping and made my birthday cake (Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake with whipped white icing!), the girls were very excited to give me their presents. From them, I got a musical card, which was by far their most favorite gift. They listened and danced to it all night - some country song. I guess my musical preferences are not at all clear to them! They also made me a Build-a-Bear bear, dressed her in a sparkle T-shirt, denim miniskirt and pink Skechers. They spent a long time showing me her patches, the stickers that she came with and her birth certificate - her name is Ella. They also ate two of the four Godiva chocolates Em gave me - they thought nothing of sharing - so sweet!
Then T gave me a gift certificate to a day spa. I've never gone to one of these before, so this should be a treat. I had planned to tag along with my neighbor to another spa, but this gift certificate is to a different spa right up the street so I guess I'm on my own. Who could I drag along with me? Anyone? I don't like doing this kind of stuff by myself, I'm way too introverted! Should be interesting!
T is downstairs setting up our new stereo receiver, speakers and getting ready for the movie we are going to "rent" on demand. Who needs a new laptop when you have all these other over-stimulating options? Certainly not me!
Tomorrow, back to real life, doctor appointments, work, church stuff.... On a bright note, temps nearing 50. Spring, please come early. This cold, dark, dampness is really dragging me down. I need a little spring in my step!
For the rest of my birthday, after I did the grocery shopping and made my birthday cake (Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake with whipped white icing!), the girls were very excited to give me their presents. From them, I got a musical card, which was by far their most favorite gift. They listened and danced to it all night - some country song. I guess my musical preferences are not at all clear to them! They also made me a Build-a-Bear bear, dressed her in a sparkle T-shirt, denim miniskirt and pink Skechers. They spent a long time showing me her patches, the stickers that she came with and her birth certificate - her name is Ella. They also ate two of the four Godiva chocolates Em gave me - they thought nothing of sharing - so sweet!
Then T gave me a gift certificate to a day spa. I've never gone to one of these before, so this should be a treat. I had planned to tag along with my neighbor to another spa, but this gift certificate is to a different spa right up the street so I guess I'm on my own. Who could I drag along with me? Anyone? I don't like doing this kind of stuff by myself, I'm way too introverted! Should be interesting!
T is downstairs setting up our new stereo receiver, speakers and getting ready for the movie we are going to "rent" on demand. Who needs a new laptop when you have all these other over-stimulating options? Certainly not me!
Tomorrow, back to real life, doctor appointments, work, church stuff.... On a bright note, temps nearing 50. Spring, please come early. This cold, dark, dampness is really dragging me down. I need a little spring in my step!
Disney Days: Animal Kingdom
Our last two days in Orlando were spent at my favorite magical place, Walt Disney World. This is the perfect day to write about this visit as it was partly my birthday present. We opted for a shorter Disney stay so we could try out the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Since our package included two park days and one night at the resort, we had to check into the Lodge before heading to the park. It was not easy, but we got up early and drove in (that wonderful back way!) and up to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to check in.
This resort is grand, but our mistake with the girls was spending a day at the Wilderness Lodge, which has a bit more of a grand entrance crazy to say. I was immediately impressed, where my two children were quick to note it was "smaller" than the other place. While smaller, it certainly held more surprises for them than just ducks in a wading pool.
After checking in, we drove over to the Animal Kingdom for the day. The great thing about Disney in winter is that the Animal Kingdom stays open almost as long as the other parks, so it doesn't seem like you are missing out on much. There is still no evening show, but that's OK, especially when you are spending the night with the animals!
We began our Animal Kingdom morning with a trip on the Kilimanjaro Safari. I am always telling friends to do this. Bypass all the hoopla in the park, head straight for the back of the park and get on one of the first rides on this safari - you will NOT be disappointed. The ride was the longest I've ever taken, as we were held up by giraffe's crossing the road, wandering about. It was almost like they were asking to have their photos taken!! What a super fun morning ride that was.
When we got off, we made a grave error. Being the Type A, neurotic sort of person that I am, I took all our Disney passes and went out to get Fast Passes so that we might enjoy that ride again later with our friends who were planning to join us, K & M. I sent T and the girls along the Palagoni Trail to check out the gorillas. I then waited at the exit. And waited, and waited... I should have followed them and joined them, but I waited. They finally came out - with AK Disney Dream Fastpasses! But only three of them!! I have a big beef about this, but really, who can complain when you have just won something? They refused to give them a fourth fastpass, which in essence split up our family. Three fastpasses is a little weird, as most rides are for two people. But whatever!! As it turns out, T doesn't really go on rides and Em was too little for half of the fastpass rides. All in all, it was a stroke of wonderful luck and we apologize for assaulting the gift giver several times in hopes of obtaining a fourth to complete our family. (Oops!)
What a super fun day with our fast passes. We hit as many rides as possible, including the Twirl roller coaster, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest (a wonderful ride!) as well as catching the new Finding Nemo show. That was spectacular!! We had hoped to use our fastpasses to see the Bug's Life show, but it was closed due to technical difficulties. Maybe next time, if my family ever allows me to drag them there again! We left the park ready to give the Animal Kingdom Lodge pool a try, although it was a bit nippy by this time.
When we returned to the Lodge, we got our first glimpse at a Savannah view room. We had a wonderful location on the third floor, which is actually the level upon which you enter. Just outside our door was the elevator that took us down two levels to the pool. It took us about 2 minutes exactly to get to the pool, so we couldn't ask for a better location! The pool was fun, water was warm, especially when submerged. By this time, the sun was setting on the opposite side of the hotel so the pool was in the shade, a cold breeze was blowing and once I was in, I stayed in! The girls went down the pool water slide over and over and I finally ditched the pool for the dinky hot tub. Seriously, at a deluxe resort a hot tub that is only big enough for 8-10 people is just not adequate in my opinion. Fortunately, in the middle of the winter, only that many were even willing to give it a try!
That evening, T made reservations for us at Boma, the African buffet restaurant. The food was outstanding, very close to what T had experienced in Africa only much spicier. I was surprised at the number of food options and that Kt tried many of the foods and like them. Fortunately for Em, they still served some macaroni and cheese for the kids. Even K was happy they had some ketchup!
After dinner, we explored the lodge a bit before completely collapsing in our room. We were all so tired at this point. The room was not at all what I had expected for a deluxe Disney resort. We have stayed before at the Old Key West moderate resort, the Beach Club Villas deluxe resort and way back when at the Disney Institute. In each of these resorts, we had extremely spacious rooms and bathrooms. Even at the Disneyland Hotel we had two very large rooms, with a kitchen, living room and large bathroom.
In contrast, the AKL room was tiny. I've stayed at Super 8 motels with larger rooms! We had a queen bed and twin bunk beds. There was enough room to walk on either side of the beds and a chair next to the queen bed. An armoire with a TV was set in the middle of the two. The girls had a difficult time watching anything from their bunk beds, but just the thrill of sleeping in them for the first time made them happily peer over the side of the top bunk for their limited TV viewing. The bed was comfortable, but not the Disney size I remember, where their queens are typically king size and the California kings are king kong size! The bathroom? Well, let's just say lion's den size and lighted! I felt like I was in a cave. The door to the bathroom barely missed the toilet and tub. Not impressed.
Of course, if you choose to stay in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, your focus is surely drawn outside, where breathtaking views of the savannah in all it's glory are the real centerpiece of your stay. We had enough foresight to bring along our binoculars, and I'm so glad we did. We saw plenty of giraffe and zebra, watched them play, eat, run and frolic. Our funniest sight was the bunny - I'm not sure if they are native to the African savannah, but it wouldn't be Disney without a rabbit sighting!
All in all, the programs for children and adults, food and atmosphere at the Animal Kingdom Lodge make it a must visit. I am glad we stayed for a night and that we decided on the savannah view room. If we ever stayed at Disney for an entire week, I think I would lean for a different resort though. I would definitely return to the AKL for food and fun, but I love the oversized Disney rooms of the other resorts far better. I'm a little overpampered I guess!
After collapsing from pure exhaustion, we slept in a bit before heading out to the Magic Kingdom on our last Disney day... more about that later! (Pictures just do not do the AKL justice!)
Yup, I'm Old
This post today is going to require audience participation. I have a huge dilemma and I need everyone's vote! As usual, there's a long story that goes along with it, so I'll let you know first what you're voting on, then you can read as many of the details as you wish! For starters, yes, it's my birthday. Happy Birthday to me, but that is not what I want your help with (unless you have truly found the fountain of youth!).
This morning my wonderful husband presented me with a Macbook. The question is: do I keep it or get something else?
Now, I had not asked for this and I love the laptop that I have. He hasn't really told me why he so desperately wants to get a Mac and why it's for me, but he's been talking about getting one for a couple of years. I find this very intriguing, as when I met him I was a diehard mac fan and he absolutely hated them!!
I right now have a 15 inch laptop and I LOVE the widescreen. It works perfectly for me, but I only have it because we bought it for a little project that fell through. Since I have NO DESK or workspace in this house, I decided to adopt this nice computer. I love it! My previous computer is a desktop one, is in T's office and has been adopted by my daughters. It, however, is on the fritz. Maybe that's why T bought me this one?
Now, a few months ago we looked at the new Mac store in our mall. I totally fell in love with the desktop iMac with a HUGE screen - I'm all about big screens when it comes to computers. The problem - I don't have a desk and no one in this family is in any big hurry to get me one except for me! I have been wanting a desk since we moved here - no desk. I've shown everyone about 10 versions of the desk I would love, no desk. Instead, I get another laptop.
The problem - this laptop he got me is a 13 inch screen. I'm afraid to open the box because I think being used to and loving my big screen I'm not going to like the 13 inch. When in Orlando, my friend had a 13 inch Macbook. It was small. And I really had a lot of trouble with the touch pad - didn't like it at all. On my current laptop, I can double click on my touchpad - on hers, I could not. I also lost all my text in emails several times. That drove me crazy! And - it was small.
I don't really know what to do. I really loved the big screen iMac, but if there is no initiative to get me a desk in this house where would I put it? And since I love my computer, especially it's size, maybe I should just get another one of my computer if we need another computer? I just don't know. Maybe I should just give T the Macbook - I think he's the one who really wants one! HELP!
This morning my wonderful husband presented me with a Macbook. The question is: do I keep it or get something else?
Now, I had not asked for this and I love the laptop that I have. He hasn't really told me why he so desperately wants to get a Mac and why it's for me, but he's been talking about getting one for a couple of years. I find this very intriguing, as when I met him I was a diehard mac fan and he absolutely hated them!!
I right now have a 15 inch laptop and I LOVE the widescreen. It works perfectly for me, but I only have it because we bought it for a little project that fell through. Since I have NO DESK or workspace in this house, I decided to adopt this nice computer. I love it! My previous computer is a desktop one, is in T's office and has been adopted by my daughters. It, however, is on the fritz. Maybe that's why T bought me this one?
Now, a few months ago we looked at the new Mac store in our mall. I totally fell in love with the desktop iMac with a HUGE screen - I'm all about big screens when it comes to computers. The problem - I don't have a desk and no one in this family is in any big hurry to get me one except for me! I have been wanting a desk since we moved here - no desk. I've shown everyone about 10 versions of the desk I would love, no desk. Instead, I get another laptop.
The problem - this laptop he got me is a 13 inch screen. I'm afraid to open the box because I think being used to and loving my big screen I'm not going to like the 13 inch. When in Orlando, my friend had a 13 inch Macbook. It was small. And I really had a lot of trouble with the touch pad - didn't like it at all. On my current laptop, I can double click on my touchpad - on hers, I could not. I also lost all my text in emails several times. That drove me crazy! And - it was small.
I don't really know what to do. I really loved the big screen iMac, but if there is no initiative to get me a desk in this house where would I put it? And since I love my computer, especially it's size, maybe I should just get another one of my computer if we need another computer? I just don't know. Maybe I should just give T the Macbook - I think he's the one who really wants one! HELP!
Monday, February 19, 2007
My Uncle's Memorial
I just wanted to share this with everyone. It's a post by my cousin about her dad, my Uncle Dave. Much of what she shares resonates with the way I feel about my dad, whose 63rd birthday is in 3 days, and whose death was 4 years ago this March 3. My uncle was an interesting man, one who I wish I had been able to spend more time with.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
To Honor a Father Category: Life
My Dad, David, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at age 68 at
Torrance Memorial Hospital. He was diagnosed 11 days earlier with a very
large and aggressive malignant (cancerous) brain tumor (glioblastoma) - that was
not related to his cancer of 10 years ago. He deteriorated very fast
before our eyes. He had no pain and always seemed at peace. He was
visited by many close friends in his final 2 days. My sister L, my
Mom, and I were with him, and enjoyed some quality time with family and friends
in his final days.A beautiful funeral and vigil services were held
on Thursday, Feb 15th and Friday, Feb 16th. We had over 200 friends
and family members in attendance. We had a private burial on Saturday, Feb
17th at Green Hills Memorial Cemetery in Rancho Palos
Verdes.Thanks for all of your energy, compassion, love and
support during this time. My family feels blessed with so many great
friends and your show of support.Thanks also to those of you who have reached
out with emails, voice messages, and cards. Your thoughts, words, and
support have been wonderful, and I plan to connect with each of you in the
coming weeks. Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in
honor of David C. My Dad has been a supporter of ACS since he beat
cancer 10 years ago.
A beautiful memorial video/picture collage can be found at http://obit.lafuneral.com/obit_display.cgi?id=380423&listing=Current
To Honor a Father and Friend
Eulogy by Alisa
We want to thank
each and every one of you for joining us today in this celebration of my
father's life. We are grateful for your love, support and prayers that
have helped Dad and us get through the last few weeks. My Dad's two
sisters, Karen and Cherry, who live on the East Coast were not able to join us
today but they are with us in spirit.
My Dad was not only my father
but also my dear friend. Whenever I had an hour to spare in my busy life,
I loved talking to my Dad and talking about some of our favorite topics like
everyday life, religion, social issues, travel, finances, dreams, relationships,
nurturing our positive attitudes and more. We shared an open mind and we
always looked at life and challenges from many perspectives.
My Dad truly embraced life – even more in his last 10 years after
he endured cancer treatments and beat it. He used his positive attitude to
deal with the surgery, radiation treatments and recovery. We are all
grateful that he retired 9 and a half years ago and truly embraced his last
decade of life. He often enjoyed walks on the beach, our vacation home in
Lake Arrowhead, lunch overlooking the water with good friends and family,
Starbucks with a good book and international travel. We would often talk
about the many lessons that he learned in his journey through life.
One great example of my Dad's ability to truly embrace life is
when he and my Mother were traveling in New Zealand. At 62 years old, my
Dad decided to try bungy jumping for the first time at the world's first bungy –
Kawarau Bridge. He stood in line in the cold and wind for hours while he
witnessed nervous younger people half his age bungy jump. My Dad said that
he only felt excitement for this challenge. He talked about this
incredibly fun experience every chance he had for the next few years. You
could feel the passion and energy in his voice about this unforgettable
experience.
My Dad also had a great sense of humor and loved a
bargain. Lately, we have discovered that it was my Dad's turn to pay for
the next lunch or dinner with many friends. We are wondering if this was
an accident or just careful planning on my Dad's part. While preparing for
this beautiful celebration of life for my father, we didn't spare any
expense. We also wondered what my Dad would say if he was still alive and
knew how much money we spent on his funeral. He might well have a heart
attack on the spot.
Thankfully, this way of life for my family
helped my parents enjoy many beautiful vacations and cruises around the
world. His bargain hunting skills will be carried on through his loving
wife Marie who still loves to visit a great garage sale now and
then.
We will all remember Dave's sense of humor, stimulating
conversations, his friendship, his advice, his passion for life, his love of the
water, his healthy eating, his love of travel, his love for his wife and
daughters, and his love for his grandchildren and extended family.
I would like to leave you with a quote from one of my Dad's favorite
songs.
"Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with
me!"
We love you Dad!!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Heat Wave!
I see after checking out the weather for next week that we're finally having a heat wave!! Looks like we might actually make it into the 40's! That's awesome news for me because these teens are really getting to me. Of course, the sunshine today has made up for it.... but only a tiny bit! Brrrrr!
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