June 30, 2009

I spent most of the day working on school work. My graduate assignment this week gave me some trouble but then I finally got through it. I think it turned out ok. I hope it did. I'm anxiously awaiting my grade. Next week is going to be a little easier as I don't have an actual graduate assignment to turn in, just the regular work. I still have to do it for my graduate grade, but nothing extra for the graduate grade.

Anyway, I'm glad it's all finished. and am enjoying a quiet night at home watching brainless movies. I'm looking forward to bedtime, though.

June 29, 2009

Today the kids and I went downtown St. Louis. We parked at Hanley and rode Metro Link down to the last stop in Missouri, right on the riverfront. We walked from there to where the Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer riverboats are docked. It was a lot longer of a walk than I realized, but it was not too hot today and it was a nice walk.

We got to the riverboats just in time for the 10:30 cruise. We got to ride on the Tom Sawyer. It was a really nice day to be out on the river. The breeze was perfect. We got sodas and sat out on the second level deck in the sun. I took tons of pictures. It was a really cool ride. The kids really enjoyed it, too.

After we got off the boat we walked up the 64 steps to the Arch grounds. We went to the Museum of Westward Expansion under the Arch. It has been almost 30 years since I've been in that museum. It was fun wandering around it with the kids. We bought salt water taffy at the little general store and refrigerator magnets at the gift shop. We also ate a pumpkin cranberry muffin that was DELICIOUS!

Then, we walked back to the Metro Link and rode it to Union Station. We ate at Subway in Union Station. After we ate, we walked around Union Station some. The kids fed the fish. They really wanted to rent a paddle boat, but we had spent enough money for the day, plus I was getting tired.

So, we got back on Metro Link and came back to the car. Metro Link was pretty packed coming back. I was surprised because it was only about 2:30 when we were coming back. Once we got back to the car and drove home it was about 3:30 or so.

I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the pictures I took today. I worked on them some more after supper and have been just relaxing this evening. I am tired from all that walking, but it's a good tired. Hopefully, that means I'll sleep well tonight.

It was a GREAT day, though. I'm so glad we did this. We all three enjoyed the day very much.

June 28, 2009

I have not felt good at all today. I am hoping it is because of lack of sleep. I got almost no sleep last night. About an hour after I fell asleep Michaela was waking me up because she was afraid of the thunder and lightening. I used to LOVE sleeping during a storm and now I just dread having storms at night because Michaela just freaks out over them. Our electricity had gone off, too.

So, for the next 3 1/2 hours I dealt with Michaela waking me up every time I'd just get to sleep. I even took her out to the living room so she'd be in the same room with me. Add to that Abby not sleeping and wandering around most of the night. She was very nervous from the storm, too.

I've managed to get most of the laundry done. I've also been trying to figure out what the kids and I are going to go do tomorrow. Since they do not camp anymore, we are free to go do just about anything we want to do. I'm thinking about going downtown St. Louis and taking a riverboat ride. But, I'm not sure. It really will depend on if I feel better tomorrow or not.

June 27, 2009

Today was bowling with girl scouts. It was a lot of fun. The girls really enjoyed it. We got to do Cosmic Bowling. They had black lights on and flashing lights down the alley. It was at a bowling alley I'd never been to before. The place was really big and really nice. I would love to be on a bowling league. Hopefully this fall. I think some friends and I are going to try to join.

Tonight we went to watch Jeremy Jr.'s baseball game. Poor Jeremy, he just is not on a great team this year. They lost 19-3. But, he seems to give it his all.

Stacey was there at the park, too. Ryan had a game last night on the other field. They won their game.

It is still really hot outside. There was lightening way off, but we may get some storms tonight. I hope Michaela sleeps through them.

June 26, 2009

Today was the last day of Camp Read A Lot for the kids. They were a little sad. I have mixed feelings. On one hand I'm going to miss that 2 1/2 hours of freedom. On the other hand it'll be nice to not have to be somewhere every day. They both enjoyed it again this year. I think they both got very good teachers, too.

While they were at camp I took my camera and went to McNair. I walked on the trail there that the Lyons club put in about 15 years ago. It's so pretty there. I got some good shots. I also got some not so good shots and some throw away shots. It's the first time I went with just the camera and my eye and no people to shoot. It was interesting to look at the scenery there without thought of placing a human in anything.

I also took a few shots at Lindenwood when I went to pick the kids up, but the sun was so harsh that it just wasn't what I wanted. I need to go up to Lindenwood's campus sometime by myself during good light hours when I don't have to worry about time.

This afternoon, Angie came over with Sami and Louie. We all got in the pool together. Louie did such a great job in the pool. He had a floater swim suit on like Caleb used to wear and just bounced around in the pool. He was so cute. They all had a great time and I loved having them here.

I got an email from my great aunt in Texas today, too. I guess Kay said something to her about me working on the family tree. Aunt Marge worked on updating things almost 10 years ago but had computer problems and never got back to it. So, she's sending me what she has. I thought it was really cool to hear from her. I'm going to try and stay in touch with her better.

Tonight we went out shopping for carpet, vinyl and cabinets for the duplex. I will be so glad when we get that place done. It's really starting to become a pain. I think we're going to get carpet from Home Depot. They had some really nice commercial grade carpet with 10 year warranty for a good price. I just want it put in and the place ready to rent again.

June 25, 2009

I had to take Abby to the vet today. She was just miserable. She was trying to do that scoot across the floor thing and was whining. Plus, she's got a hurt toe nail that we needed to have them look at.

The rear end thing was just her anal glands needing to be cleaned out. Her toe nail on the other hand is messed up. We've had problems with this before. We thought it had gotten better but in the last few weeks, it has been bothering her again. It's really swollen. The vet gave us some antibiotics for that and cleaned out the anal glands. He also said to have us soak her paw in salt water a couple times a day.

I have to take her back in two weeks for the vet to check her toe again. If it isn't drastically improved they are probably going to have to cut it off. So, we'll see how things go. She seems more comfortable tonight than she has been in the last couple days.

On another note, I am really proud of my kids today. I have not felt all that great today after getting very little sleep 3 out of the past 4 nights. They managed to be quiet enough for me to take a 1 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. Michaela really worked pretty hard on a couple areas in her bedroom, too. It's not as good as I'd do it, but it's A LOT better than it was and she really did more than I asked her to do. Both of them worked hard on vacuuming, too. Caleb even did a much better job making his bed than he usually does. I'm just really proud of them.

June 24, 2009

I went to buy lanterns at Wal-mart this morning. They are camping lanterns for when we go to Girl Scout camp in July. Our troop is staying in some of the tents and we'll need light. I got battery operated ones because I don't want to deal with flames around the girls. I need to find some battery powered fans, too. I'm sure it's going to be hot in those tents.

This afternoon I spent some time with Stacey, just hanging out and talking. I really enjoy her company. It was nice to just sit and talk for a while. I stayed for a couple hours then came home to do some laundry.

This evening the kids and I are watching Star Wars: A New Hope, again. I think I've created two little Star Wars junkies. Caleb has to watch the cartoon Clone Wars that's on Cartoon Network whenever he can.

June 23, 2009

Today I spent most of the day doing homework. Tuesday is the last day of the week for my classes so things have to be completed before Tuesday is over. I managed to turn everything in by 3:15. It felt good to get it all completed and turned in.

I had a graduate assignment due for one of them this week. I've already gotten my grades back for this week. So far I still have A's in both classes. This makes me very happy. I hope I am able to maintain that for 4 more weeks.

June 22, 2009

I have done very little today. I have not felt all that great. I've been fighting a sinus headache most of the day. I am also very tired because Abby woke me up in the middle of the night. She really scared me.

She was making her dreaming noise, which is what woke me up. That's no big deal because she's been doing that since she was a puppy. But, then she started breathing really funny. At first I thought it was part of her dream, but then it got worse. So, I sat up and tried to nudge her awake. It usually doesn't take much to get her to lift her head. But, she wouldn't wake up.

Then, I tried to lift her head, but her neck was really limp. This is not normal. I tried to move her around and her whole body was very limp. It was weird. She's never felt like that when she's sleeping before. She just would not wake up. It took me a good two minutes before she would wake up. Then, she stood up, did her little circle thing and laid back down.

After that I could not go to sleep. I was afraid if I did I'd wake up and my dog would be dead. But, she's been completely normal all day today. If she does this again tonight she's going to the vet tomorrow. I hope it was just a freak thing. Michael keeps saying she was just really deep asleep, but it just was a lot different than she usually is, even when she's in a deep sleep.

June 21, 2009

It is Father's Day. The kids and I gave Michael two $25.00 gift cards to Bass Pro Shop. The kids each picked out really cute/funny cards for Michael. He enjoyed them. We also gave him a bag of Twizzlers and a bag of Jolly Ranchers.

I'm not sure why but today was really hard for me. This is the fourth Father's Day since my dad died and it just really got to me today. I have made it through the other three Father's Days pretty o.k., but today I just cried and felt such a big hole. Michael has been great about it though. He's really done all he can to try and be supportive and make me feel better. I am so lucky to have him.

We had lunch with Michael's side of the family at Lewis & Clark's. It was a nice lunch in that we all enjoyed each other's company. Our waitress was not the greatest. When we asked for more drinks after sitting with empty glasses for a while the waitress said, "yes, I'll get them, I do have this other table, too." Well, excuse us. My SIL's food was cold, too. But, the company we shared was good.

When we got home the kids got in the pool. Michael went up to the duplex to paint. His mom and dad both went up to help him. I did some homework and some laundry.

Around 4:45 Kelly, Jeremy and the kids came over. Michaela and Caleb had invited their cousins to go swimming. It turned into a very fun evening. They stuck around to have pizza with us and just hang out. They were here until almost 9:00 p.m. It was very relaxing to be able to just hang out in our back yard with family and just be together. I'm REALLY glad they came over.

June 20, 2009

Today was the girl scout swim party and BBQ. We went to McNair Park to swim. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoy our girl scout outings. We've got a great group of girls and the other moms are so much fun to be around.

We were at the pool for a little over two hours. It was a cloudy, overcast afternoon. But, it was still very warm outside. It thundered a little, but never did rain or lightening so we were good. The kids had a great time. They were a lot of fun this afternoon.

After swimming we went over to one of the pavilions and had a cook out. We had hot dogs, salads, fruit, deviled eggs, mac 'n cheese, cookies, brownies, and chips. The food was really good. We were all really hungry from swimming. The kids got to play Frisbee and run around some, too. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

When we got home, Michaela and Caleb decided since they still had their swim suits on they needed to get in our pool for a while. So, they swam for another hour or so and then came inside for the night.

June 19, 2009

The kids played in the swimming pool all afternoon today. They were out there about four hours today. Michaela got sun burnt. It's not horrible, but it does hurt her some. I guess I should have checked the sun block more often. They had a lot of fun, though. I'm so glad they have that pool to play in, they enjoy it very much.

I worked on some scrap booking stuff this afternoon and this evening. I completed a tag for a challenge on one of my groups. I also completed two layouts today. It felt good to get something accomplished. One layout I did of Abby and her favorite toy. The other I did of Caleb's 6th birthday party.

Yes, I'm very far behind on my scrap booking. I have a few page kits I made over a year ago still sitting downstairs waiting for me to do something with them. I used sketches today to help me and it made things go so much easier. I really enjoyed it, too. I think I'm going to use some more sketches for a while. I need to get some albums completed.

June 18, 2009

I took the kids to Fitz's Root beer today. It's a really cool bottling company and restaurant in University City. http://www.fitzsrootbeer.com/

It was so much fun. You can see the bottles of root beer being bottled as you eat. The whole bottling operation is right behind a wall of windows in the dining room. The floats that the kids got were HUGE! Michaela actually finished the whole thing. Caleb ate most of his ice cream, but that was about it. We had lunch there, too. Their food was pretty good. We all three enjoyed it a lot.

On the way home we went past Webster University so the kids could see where Mommy went to college. It was weird driving down those streets again. It's been SO LONG since I went out that way. I loved going to school there.

Tonight was Caleb's t-ball night. I think we have three more weeks of it, but we skip the week before 4th of July. It was really hot out there tonight. The heat index got over 100 degrees today, so at 5:30 it was still very hot.

Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Kelly came to see Caleb play tonight. They brought Michaela her birthday present, too. Michaela and Caleb were really happy to see them. I love how excited my kids get about seeing their aunt and uncle.

June 17, 2009

Today was cleaning day. The kids went back into their bedrooms to clean them again, because they did not do a good job of it the other day. Michaela had to clean the front bathroom and Caleb had to vacuum the stairs and furniture, too.

I spent three hours in the kitchen. I scrubbed and sanitized the counter tops thoroughly, and everything that was on them. I put away things that had been just dumped onto the counters and table. I scrubbed the cupboard doors. I cleaned the window sill. I scrubbed the base boards. I swept, swiffered, vacuumed and mopped the floor.

I scrubbed the sink about three times. It looks like a completely different room. I wanted to clean out the refrigerator, too, but I also had to scrub the bathroom floor after Michaela was done with cleaning the bathroom. I did the base boards in there, too. I am tired.

I am not going to do any major cooking in the kitchen tonight. I am not messing up my three hours worth of work. We are going to have toasted ravioli that I can put in the oven. I'm going to warm up green beans in the microwave and cut up an apple and a pear. That will make minimal mess.

Tomorrow is our day off. We are not doing anything that resembles work tomorrow.

June 16, 2009

Tonight was scout night at the Cardinal's game. We went with the girl scouts. We sat up high, but it was a nice night. Luckily we had our backs to the sun. It was a little warm, but not hot.

I really enjoyed the night. Angie and Sami rode down to the stadium with us. So, I got to talk to her some. She got a chance to get to know Michael a little and Michael got a chance to get to know her a little. That is important to me, that they get to know each other.

The kids were great. It was a really good game because the Cardinals wooped up on some Detroit butt! We won 12 - 1. Pujols got a home run. That was fun to see.

I think we should go to the Cardinal games more often.

June 15, 2009

I spent the morning paying bills and cleaning up my mail area. It took the whole 2 1/2 hours that the kids were gone to camp. But, now it's done and it looks a lot better in there.

This afternoon I've been doing a lot of reading about photography. I am finally starting to learn the things that I wanted to learn thanks to a website that someone on one of my groups shared with me. I have been looking for a long time for some resource that would explain things in a way that people who do not have any background or experience with photography can understand. Finally, I've found it.

I am the type of person if I can get a grip on the beginnings of something, most of the time I can figure a lot of things out on my own. When I've got a back ground on something it's a lot easier to learn. I feel like I've taken a big step forward, finally.

June 14, 2009

This morning was a busy morning. We decided it was the day to put up the pool. And, I wanted to get flowers into my pots that I put out in the back yard. In order for us to put up the pool the wood pile has to be moved up to the top of the hill.

So, Michael started on that while the kids and I went to Wal-mart to get gardening gloves for them. We got a few other things while we were there and then I brought them home to help their daddy.

I went up to the plant tent and bought some flowers. When I got back home I realized I did not have enough flowers and my gardening gloves were missing. So, back to Wal-mart I went.

When I got home the kids and Michael were just about finished with the wood pile. They had found a family of mice living in the wood pile. Well, I should say they found the babies. They put them in a different place and hopefully their mother found them. Their eyes were still closed. They were kind of cute, but cuter now that they are not so close to my house.

I spent a couple hours getting my flowers in to pots. Michaela helped me. It turns out when I went and got more flowers, I bought too many. But, I noticed a planter up on the top shelf in the garage that I can put the extras in. Problem is, I'm out of potting soil, so I'll have to go get some more of that.

This afternoon the kids and I just hung out around the house. It was really hot this morning and the humidity zapped us, especially Caleb and me. He and I both fell asleep for a little while this afternoon.

Tonight we had grilled pork chops, cheesy potatoes, corn and applesauce for supper. I marinated the chops in Italian dressing before putting them on the grill. They turned out really good. I'm pretty proud of myself.

This evening the kids and I watched Revenge of the Sith. Now my kids have seen all of the Star Wars movies. I enjoyed that time with them. I did not get much laundry done, but I can do it tomorrow.

June 13, 2009

So far it's been a great weekend. Last night I got to spend time with some wonderful friends. Today I got to do the same, only with different friends. Today was Stacey's Ryan's graduation party.

It is hard for me to believe that I'm old enough to have friends who have kids old enough to be out of high school. It was a really nice afternoon. I got to talk to a couple friends that I've not had a chance to talk to lately. I always enjoy that.

I just feel so lucky. I have the greatest friends and a wonderful family. My life is just what I always wanted it to be when I was growing up.

June 12, 2009

Tonight was our surprise dinner for Vicky. We've been planning this since March. She was very surprised and it was a lot of fun. It's always so much fun to go out with the girls, and last night was great. We talked for hours. I'm surprised they did not kick us out for taking up the table too long. I cannot wait until we can all go out together again.

We went to Trailhead. There were five of us that showed up to let Vicky know we really appreciate all she does for our girls. But, also because we all enjoy her friendship. So, it was a good turn out.

We gave her a photo book of the past year in girl scouts. She seemed to really like it. It was fun to watch her look through it.

We had told her we were going out to celebrate Julie's birthday, which in fact is not until October. It was fun to watch the look on her face when she realized the night was about her, instead.

I'm just very glad we did this.

June 11, 2009

It's been a pretty laid back day today. I went and spent some time with my friend Angie this morning. The kids played outside while I worked on course work for one of my classes this afternoon. This evening was T-ball for Caleb. That's about it.

June 10, 2009

I took the kids to the movies yesterday and forgot to write about that. We went to see Race to Witch Mountain at the dollar show. It was a really good movie. It was pretty intense, though. The action was non-stop. But, we all really enjoyed it. Sami went with us and that was fun to have her along with us. She such a sweet girl.

Today, the kids got the slip 'n slide out. They had so much fun with it. I hope we are able to get the swimming pool up soon. Michael has been working so hard on the duplex, he's not had time to get the pool put up.

June 9, 2009

I went to a genealogy class at the library tonight. It was really interesting. They taught us how to use http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp .

Angie is the one who told me about the class. She was there, too. It was really cool to be there with her and to learn about this with her there. I feel a little overwhelmed by it all. It all can get very involved, but that's ok. It's part of the fun of it. It was also really cool to take a class and learn about something that had nothing to do with my work life.

June 8, 2009

Michaela and Caleb started Camp Read A Lot today. It took me a little bit to find the right building. They've built up at Lindenwood so much it's a bit confusing at times any more. But, we found it and they both enjoyed it very much.

Michael did not go to work today. He spent the day up at the duplex. The window company came to put in the windows. They look so much better than the old windows. We are going to have to have them come back out, though because one of the bathroom windows is cracked.

Tonight was gymnastics night. Only one other girl in Michaela's class showed up tonight so their teacher just had the two of them. It was so much more quiet and calm than it usually is on Mondays. I guess the enrollment really has dropped off for the summer. It was kind of nice for it to not be so busy.

June 7, 2009

Today was a really lazy day for me. I've been having spasms in my back since Friday night. It got better some yesterday and then last night got worse again. I took a muscle relaxer but still did not sleep well, so I've been very tired today. I did some laundry and made lunch.

I also ready quite a bit today. I read about half of the photography magazine that Scrapbooks Etc. put out. I read several chapters of Brimstone. Then, I did some reading for one of my online classes, including getting caught up in the forum.

But, all of that I did on my bed.

Michael worked up at the duplex most of the day. I guess the bathroom is just about ready to be put back together. They need a small piece of pipe for the sink before they can do anything else. Tomorrow the windows get put in and hopefully within two weeks we'll be ready to rent the place out again.

June 6, 2009

Today was Michaela's birthday party. We had it at the skating rink. She had 6 friends show up for it and she had a lot of fun. It was a nice no stress way to have a party. We had Scottish Terrier themed stuff for her party. So, when we went to order her cake, we gave the bakery a picture of our Abby and they put that on her cake. It turned out so cool!!!

Michaela enjoyed the afternoon with her friends very much. She said it was the best birthday party ever. Her best friend gave her a stuff Scottie in a little purse and she loved that. It's cool to see how well they know each other.

She also got a Polly car, some Littlest Petshop stuff, a diary, some cash and text messagers. There was some sidewalk chalk and a bubble wand in with the text messagers, too.

The skating rink really handled the birthday party well, too. The girl that was helping us was great. Michaela got to get in the Party Machine and was able to get a fake emerald ring with the tickets she grabbed. She also got a glow stick.

I am very happy with the way the day went.

June 5, 2009

Today was a day of errands:

• Dentist (Caleb had to have a cavity filled)
• Out to work to get my escrow check
• Home to get deposit slip
• Bank
• Credit Union
• Ate at Burger King
• Factory Card Outlet to get stuff for Michaela's goody bags
• Sam's for cake (found out we could have Abby's picture put on the cake)
• Home to get a picture
• Back to Sam's to order cake
• Home for good

This evening was pretty much just quiet hang out time at home.

June 4, 2009

Summer break has begun! I got to leave work early today. It was so nice to walk out and know that everything is taken care of and complete. I think I am going to have to go back to work tomorrow to get my escrow check, but that's no big deal.

I took Michaela to the doctor today. She assured us that Michaela has just had a virus and it could be another week before she is completely back to normal, but she's not contagious at this point. This is good. She is good to go for her birthday party on Saturday, which she was very happy to hear about.

Michaela has been much peppier today. Her grandmother said she played almost the whole time they were over there this morning. She also did not get lethargic today like she has been. She ate a lot more today, too. She had a whole sandwich at lunch time and ate everything on her plate at supper time. We had spaghetti and green beans and sliced apples.

I took the kids to the library this afternoon. They got their reading program papers so they can start the reading program now. They each checked out books, too. I got a book for myself, although I don't know why since I have so many I need to read here at home. But, I found an S.E. Hinton book I've never read in the adult section. I hope it's good.

This evening was t-ball night. Caleb's team had a game tonight. They still do not keep score and everyone gets to bat during each inning. They play for an hour and each team gets equal amounts of inning time. Caleb is definitely getting better. I really liked how his coach took notes and told the boys all what they did right.

Now, Michael is over at the duplex with his dad working. The kids have gone to bed. Abby is asleep in her bed. I am watching Planet of the Apes. Tomorrow I do not have to wake up early. Tomorrow I do not have to go to work. I have 68 days in which I get to set my own schedule.

June 3, 2009

Today was my last day with students. Only 11 of them showed up for school today. It was a very laid back day and they were great. My classroom is completely packed up and ready for summer cleaning. Tomorrow all I have to do is turn in my technology stuff and turn in my key.

Michaela is still not back to normal. I am very frustrated by this. She gets up in the morning and feels ok. Then, by the time I pick her up she's not feeling good again. She says it happens right before lunch time. She's have abdominal pain in the evenings and I have to talk her into eating something. Tonight she ate applesauce at supper time. Then, a little later she asked for some sliced apples. So, I gave her those. She was better by bedtime. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow even if she's feeling ok in the morning.

June 2, 2009

It was really hot today. It got over 90 degrees today, which is not unheard of for this time of year, but not the norm either. I would love it if the AC in my classroom was working. But, it got VERY HOT in my classroom today and my students started getting a little stinky. But, they were really pretty good today. Of course there were only 11 of them that showed up for school today.

June 1, 2009

Yeah, no more Mondays!!!! It was a pretty good day. I had to stay with the kids who lost the privilege of going to field day, but they were pretty subdued. I guess the reality of not getting to go sunk in when they saw their friends leave without them.

I got a lot done in my classroom today. But, I'm at that point where it looks worse than it did. You have to mess things up to clean them up. I worked so hard and it looks like I didn't do anything. But, by the end of tomorrow I'm sure it'll start looking like a classroom that is about to be closed down for the summer.

My students have been helping me, too. They always like to do things to help out. I think it makes them feel important. It's nice to have them help, too. I makes me feel a stronger connection with them when we are doing things like that together.

Michaela was not feeling well at all when I picked her up this afternoon. She was cramping. She's had two bouts of diarrhea today. I may have to get her a doctor's appointment. She did not eat hardly anything tonight, but my MIL said she ate almost a whole can of soup for lunch. I think I'm going to take her crackers and applesauce over tomorrow.

Caleb spent a long time over at the duplex this evening. I thought he was going to help his daddy and papa. But, I find out he spent most of the time with my mom and Griff. I'm sure my mom was more than ready for him to go home as it was 9:00 when they came home.