May 31, 2009

Michaela is finally starting to feel better. She was up a couple times over night with problems. She also seemed like she was going to have another day like yesterday, but it calmed down this morning. She then developed a fever and cramping that lasted a few hours. After taking Tylenol and getting some gentle food in her stomach she started perking up some. She even asked if she could go outside to play. Um, no not yet.

Michael and his dad have been working at the duplex all afternoon. He came home in time for supper. They are finished for the day. They need some plumbing supplies before they can go further and the stores are closed by now since it's Sunday.

I had to go get Michaela some more Tylenol tonight. I kind of wandered around Walmart for a while just because I needed to be away from the house for a while. Michaela said her stomach was cramping again as she was going to bed, but she's not had to go to the rest room again since early in the day. Hopefully, she won't have to overnight. It's been a few hours since she's eaten so I figure if it was going to flare up again it would have by now. Maybe she'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

May 30, 2009

Michaela came home from her sleep over sick today. I'm not sure what's caused it but she has pretty bad diarrhea. She thinks it's from eating turkey bacon. Whatever is causing it really is tearing up her stomach. I feel so badly for her. I know she's miserable, but this is one of those things that we just have to let it run it's course.

I'm a little disappointed because I was hoping to spend some time with a friend tonight. But, Michaela cannot go anywhere and Michael is up working on the duplex, so I need to be home with the kids. So, I spent some time talking to my friend on the telephone. Soon, we are going to get together and do something, though.

Hopefully, tomorrow, Michaela will feel better.

May 29, 2009

It's Friday! This was my last work Friday of the school year. This week actually went pretty fast for me. Only four more days of work (3 with students) and then it's over until August.

Not much going on tonight. Michaela went to Anikca's for a sleep over. Michael went up to work on the duplex. I just kind of hung out with Caleb some and messed around online. It was a nice quiet Friday evening.

May 28, 2009

10 Thinks I'd rather not do!

You know the drill.... make your list, check it twice... tag people that have some personality.... rinse, repeat.

In no particular order:

1. Go grocery shopping. Need I say more?

2. Wear shoes... I hate shoes and am always less comfortable when I have shoes on my feet.

3. Grade papers... yes it's necessary but it's really not the most exciting part of being a teacher.

4. Talk on the telephone...it annoys me when the phone rings, there are only a few people that I want to talk to on the phone.

5. Use a public restroom, for obvious reasons

6. Wear a skirt or dress, I am uncomfortable in these items.

7. Drive when Michael is in the car, he makes me nervous.

8. Deal with paper, I have a tendency to lose paper, send it to me in an email and I'll have it forever.

9. Get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, but alas I have no control over that

10. Discuss religion or politics, it always leads to an argument.

May 27, 2009

Happy 10th birthday to my little girl. I cannot believe it's been 10 years already. How in the world does time go by so fast?

It was a pretty good day for Michaela. It was her last day of school and she only had to be there for half a day. Her grandparents picked her and Caleb up from school and took them to Applebee's for lunch.

This evening after Michael got home, his parents came over here. They brought Michaela her gift from them and she opened all her gifts. We gave her a scooter, photo book containing pictures of her from KG until Easter of this year, a Jonas Brothers CD, and a Littlest Petshop garden playset. Michael's parents gave her a Hotel For Dogs DVD and a Littlest Petshop playset with light up stage.

Then, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for supper. The kids had a lot of fun, as usual, there. We ate pizza and played games. The kids came home with 260 tickets, so it was a pretty good night there.

Michaela's birthday party with her friends isn't until June 6, 2009.

Here's hoping the next 10 years do not go by quite as fast.

May 26, 2009

It was back to work for me today. I now have just 6 days left with students. For some reason it feels like it's still going to be 106 days. But, I know it'll all end faster than I realize.

I just know that I am so ready to be home with my kids for a couple months. I hope we are able to do some fun things this summer. I also hope we are able to get this house in order. I'm so tired of it feeling so cluttered.

May 25, 2009

Today was pretty uneventful. I did laundry and watched two movies. The kids played outside a lot. Michael and his dad worked on the duplex. It's turning into a much bigger job than we anticipated. The whole floor (sub floor included) is going to have to be replaced in the bathroom. Luckily the bathroom is small, but it includes getting the bathtub up off the floor.

Today, my puppy turned 12. I cannot believe she's getting so old. Her beard and mouth fur is pretty much completely grey/white now. She's a lot slower than she used to be, but she's still got her wonderful personality. She tries to play but tires a lot faster than she used to tire out. She's losing her hearing. But, she still is really healthy considering her age.

My SIL's birthday is today, too. She's 34, but for a human that's not quite as old as Abby. I hope Karen is having a good birthday and my brother is behaving himself today.

May 24, 2009

Today we went to my mom's. We got there a little after 1:00 pm. We had hamburgers, hot dogs and other summery type food for lunch. We sat around and visited and ate and drank. The kids played.

Michael played washers and ball with Caleb. The kids also played frisbee a lot. It was a nice relaxing day.

We also celebrated Karen's birthday and Michaela's birthday. Tomorrow Karen will be 34. Michaela will be 10 on Wednesday. Michaela got an outfit and some diving torpedoes from my mom and Griff. She got Easy Bake mixes from Brandon and Karen.

We gave Karen a reed diffuser that came with rocks and a square ceramic plate. Karen got an outfit from my mom and Griff.

We got KFC for supper. The kids, Karen and I walked down to Circle K to get more soda and some ice while Michael and Griff went to get the chicken. We ended up staying until 9:00 pm. It was a really good day. I enjoyed it very much.

May 23, 2009

Today is the first day of a three day weekend. I love three day weekends. It's always so nice to have that extra day that you do not have to go into work.

It's been pretty much a normal Saturday. I did laundry and went to Wal-mart. The kids cleaned their rooms. Michael worked outside some.

Michaela went to a sleep over at Taylor's tonight. There were police and emergency vehicles racing up Hunter's Ridge when I was over dropping Michaela off. I drove past and there was a woman on her knees sobbing in the yard. I don't know what happened, but with all the people standing around and all the police there, I assume it was bad. The ambulance and fire truck were already gone and I don't remember hearing sirens to take anyone away.

May 22, 2009

It is Friday and the only Friday that is going to make me happier is in two weeks. I cannot wait for school to be out. I have 7 days left with students and then one more day I have to go in without students. I am really ready for summer break.

Nothing much going on at home tonight. Just sitting around vegetating, enjoying some appletinis and watching a rerun of Ghost Whisperer that I missed the first time around.

It's nice to have a three day weekend ahead of me. However, I would give it up to have the school year end another day earlier. But, that is not my choice so I'm going to enjoy this and then dive into my last two weeks of work. The end will come soon enough.

May 21, 2009

Tonight I took Caleb to t-ball practice. Michael had to work late and could not be there. It was fun to watch Caleb. He's just growing up so fast. Gone is my little boy and there is this bigger boy in his place. I refuse to call him a big boy yet, although he believes he is a big boy.

While I was at his practice I called Stacey to let her know we'd come to Ryan's graduation party. I told her I'd probably have to wear some blue to offset all the maroon. Hehehehehehe We talked for a little while. I am very glad she is my friend.

A little bit later I called Angie. Gosh, we talked for well over an hour last night. That's so cool! She is just the best friend a person could have. I love our conversations. I cannot wait until I can get her together with Stacey and Melissa and introduce them all.

I have become so lucky with my friends. Between Stacey, Melissa, Angie, Vicky and all the friends that come with them I am a very, very lucky person. This does not include my online friends who are just as amazing. I don't know what I did to get so lucky, but I am very thankful for them all.

May 20, 2009

Michaela had to go put flags out at the city cemetery this evening. This is part of the community service they are doing to get their bronze award for girl scouts. I had forgotten all about it until I looked back at my email. We were late, but we got there. Caleb was with us and helped, too. I think the girls enjoyed it. It was nice to be outside and in a peaceful place for a little while. I always find cemeteries peaceful.

May 19, 2009

Today I found out that I am going to be the only first grade teacher staying in first grade next school year. We have a lot of teachers being moved around. One of the second grade teachers and the reading coach will be working in first grade with me next year. I think we'll make a good team.

One of my present team mates is being moved to second grade. She'll be working with one of the present second grade teachers and a teacher that was a title 1 teacher but was moved to KG in March.

Our KG teachers will be my other present team mate and a teacher that has been our reading reduction teacher up until March of this year. She has been teaching 3rd grade since the beginning of March.

Our 3rd grade team is changing a lot too. Just one of the teachers is staying in that grade. A second grade teacher will be moving to third grade and another teacher who was in 6th part of the year and then helping in 3rd and doing science the other part of the year will be in third grade, too.

We have a fourth grade teacher and a sixth grade teacher trading places. Our fifth grade team is the only team that is not changing.

I don't know why, but I have some really positive feelings about these changes. I know there are some teachers who are not happy, but I think after they get into their new roles they will be happy.

I did the grocery shopping tonight because Michael is not feeling well at all. He called his doctor and got some medicine. I hope it helps him. He is miserable.

May 18, 2009

Tonight was performance night at gymnastics for Michaela. She did a great job. I forgot my camera so I went to Walgreen's to get one. I was going to just buy a disposable camera, but found a little digital camera that is also a web cam for only $2.00 more than the disposable one. I hope I was taking the pictures right, though. It was hard to tell through the little view finder that is on it.

I enjoyed tonight, though and I think Michaela did too.

May 17, 2009

My whole day was paperwork for work and laundry. Yippee.

But, the Survivor season finale was good tonight. So, that is a positive.

May 16, 2009

It was an uneventful Saturday around here. Mostly just routine stuff that goes on most Saturdays. I was able to get Caleb's closet and dresser drawers cleaned out and re-organized for the summer season. It always feels good to get that job done. Michaela's still has to be done, but I'll get to that sometime soon.

Michael and I spent most of the evening catching up on Survivor. We were three episodes behind. It was well worth the wait, though because the one person I could not stand was voted off on the last episode. It's amazing, but the finale is tomorrow night already. Just about every show has wrapped up it's season now. There are supposed to be more episodes of Harper's Island, but it was not on this week so I don't know what's going on there. Hopefully, they were just taking the week off.

May 15, 2009

I was able to get the family tree documents from my mom this evening. I went over there for a little while and shared with her what I already found out and showed her some of the stuff I found online. We found some more mistakes on the one website, but that’s ok, I can always email them again.

It has been really fascinating to look stuff up. I can’t wait until we can do more extensive research. I can understand how people get addicted to this kind of thing. Just thinking about it, it’s the type of thing that can take years to create. I mean looking at both sides of each secular family and both sides of the extended families can go on and on forever.

May 14, 2009

I did not go to work today. I did get to spend some unplanned time with a friend though. Which was nice. We spent a lot of time online starting the research on my family. It’s cool to have someone that can help me through this, especially, someone that enjoys spending time with me. I really, really enjoyed the time we got to spend together today.

We found out some things I did not know about my family. I had always been told that my great grandmother was an only child. Well, she was in the fact that she was the only one born to her father and his third wife. But, there was a half brother that was born to her father and his first wife.

Then, this evening we had visitors. It seems my friendly children have talked to some people who walk by our house frequently. They have four kids and the youngest two are close in age to Michaela and Caleb. The mom drove them over here this evening and asked Michaela to have me come out so she could meet me. We ended up standing in the driveway talking for over an hour. It was fun. I’m really glad she came by and wanted to meet me.

May 13, 2009

Tonight was girl scouts. We had another troop come by to see what it was like to be in junior girl scouts. It was cool having them there. I spent some time filling out paper work and talking more than I should, but I did get to watch some of it and it was fun to see them interact with our girls.

It seems there’s going to be four of us that are co-leaders next year. That’s going to be fun, especially since I really enjoy the company of the other moms that are going to be part of being in the leadership role with me. I just feel so lucky to have met this group of women.

May 12, 2009

It was another busy evening. Although it was not as busy as last night. Michael and Caleb had to go to t-ball practice. Michaela and I went to do the grocery shopping. I embarrassed Michaela at the grocery store tonight. It was so much fun.

I was dancing in the grocery store and of course it just mortified Michaela. She was trying to hold my arms down and making more of a scene than I was. It was so funny. Then, I started dancing out in the parking lot and she told me a guy was staring at me so I waved at him. That just about killed Michaela. Oh, I’m so evil!

May 11, 2009

It was a very busy afternoon and evening for us. I had to race home from work and get Caleb and be at their school by 4:15. Michael was singing with the choir at their principal’s retirement party. It was a nice little get together. I saw some people there I knew that I’d not seen in a while and Mrs. Lohmar too the time to talk to us before we left. She really seemed to be trying hard to make sure she talked to everyone. It’s just indicative of the kind of person she is and why she will be missed.

Then, we had just enough time to rush to Taco Bell to get some supper before we headed to Jefferson Middle School. This is where Michaela will go to school next year. They had an open house for the kids that will be going there next year for the first time so they could get a look at the building. We saw most of the people we know from girl scouts and a few people that we know from Guppy and haven’t seen in a while.

After that we had to go to Monroe for Michaela’s SOAR night. It was her last SOAR night because next year she’ll attend the gifted program at Jefferson and it’s called Quest there. Luckily, Monroe sits right next to Jefferson so all we had to do was walk across the parking lot.

I know Michaela is going to miss her teacher from SOAR next year. I’m going to miss her too. She was great with Michaela. I hope she gets a good Quest teacher next year.

This was the second Monday in a row that Michaela missed gymnastics. They probably are wondering where she has been. It could not be helped, though.

May 10, 2009

Today was a pretty good day. Michael and the kids went to church with me this morning. It felt so good to have my family there with me. The service was a good one and the sermon was really good. It just felt right for all of us to be there together.

We went to his church, too. The regular preacher wasn't there. They had a man from High Hill Christian Camp. Supposedly he was there to talk about camp. Instead he delivered a sermon that was over 40 minutes long... after we'd already been there singing hymns and doing worship stuff for 40 minutes. The kids did not go down to junior church, either. So, my kids sat through what pretty much amounted to 2 1/2 church services this morning. Caleb got restless the last 20 - 25 minutes but considering he's a 7 year old boy, I think he did a great job. Heck, I was getting really restless, too.

This man that came to speak was REALLY BORING. He'd sound like he was starting to wind things down and then all of a sudden start in on something else. I really think there are preachers out there that need to take a class on the way people learn. To stand up and preach/talk/lecture for 40 minutes is not an effective way to get your point across.

After church we were supposed to go to Red Lobster with Michael's parents and Jeremy's family, but it was way too packed. That is not a surprise since we didn't get out of church until after 12:00. So, we ended up at Locos. I had a french dip sandwich and then had a wonderfully sinful chocolate vesuvius desert.

This afternoon we went over to my mom's house and gave her her gift. We sat and talked for a while. It was a nice visit.

Tonight we had Lyon's frozen custard. Lyon's always has free strawberry shortcake on Mother's Day. It's always such a madhouse there, but we enjoyed our ice cream just the same.

May 9, 2009

I feel better today, although I've still been really tired. This morning we went to Michael's allergy doctor so he could get a shot. Then, we headed to Wal-mart. We got the weekly things we needed there. By then it was lunch time so we came home and had lunch.

Then, it was off to buy Mother's Day presents. We ended up getting a fern for Michael's mom and a rose bush for my mom. I made cards for them tonight. I was very happy with the way the front of them turned out, but I can never thing of what to write on the inside. So, it was basically just "happy Mother's Day, we love you."

Michael and I ended up taking a nap together this afternoon. We both were just really tired. I am afraid it's going to make sleeping difficult tonight. I did tell Michael I wanted him and the kids to go to church with me tomorrow.

May 8, 2009

I have not felt good today at all. I stayed home from work. I really was not happy about missing work today because I just have too much to get done at work. But, there is no way I'd have made it through the day with the way I have felt.

I slept quite a bit today. When I was awake I just laid around and watched shows I'd had taped and movies on Netflix. I felt a little better tonight. I felt ok enough to go out and look at stuff for the duplex. We ended up buying the bathroom vanity, a light for the hallway, pain primer, and a ceiling fan for the living room. We have the sink top for the bathroom picked out and will go back and get it later.

That was about all I could take. I'm really exhausted now.

May 7, 2009

Yesterday, Michael took Abby to the vet. Her ear has been bothering her for a long time. We had her in the vet about 3 times last fall for this and she kept saying nothing was wrong. The last time I was there she gave me ear drops and told me to use them whenever her ear seemed to be bothering her. It cost us about $50 every time we took her in and I felt kind of shoved aside. So, we've not taken her back.

Well, lately she's not been eating her food like she usually does. She'll eat it, but she's not excited about it in the mornings like usual. It sometimes takes her all day to finish it off. Plus, she's been shaking her head even more and not sleeping at night. So, Michael called and got her an appointment. We were hoping to see the other vet, but it did not work out that way.

It seems she has a very bad ear infection and a staph infection on her back. We don't know how she's managed to scratch back there, but she has and it's caused an infection. So, now she's on antibiotics, ear drops and benedryl. The vet is pretty sure Abby's allergies have gotten worse, hence the benedryl.

She's not lost any weight so, that's a good sign. She also still begs for treats and is doing all her other normal behaviors. Tonight she seems more comfortable. Hopefully, that means the antibiotics are doing their job.

May 6, 2009

In the past few years, I've met some pretty incredible people. I really am amazed at how lucky I have been. I've found some wonderful friends. Some online and others off line. I went through a long period of time where I refused to trust people enough to let them get close because of how horribly a past friend treated me.

Now, it seems I'm coming back out of my shell and it's paying off. I still am very careful who I trust with that kind of information that only a friend is entitled to know, but some how, I've been blessed with a few amazing people that I can really consider friends.

Friends are important. And, a friendship is like any other relationship, it takes work from both parties. I am enjoying having that kind of relationship with other people again. It really means more to me than I could ever express that the friends I have now make me feel so accepted and loved. I hope they know who they are and how much they mean to me. Love ya'll!

May 5, 2009

Tonight was Michaela's violin concert. It was nice. I enjoyed it. They had all the orchestra kids in the district there to perform from 4th grade up to seniors in high school. I thought it would be terribly long, but it wasn't too bad. I think they all did a great job.

My allergies are still going crazy. I hope the pollen dies down soon. I just want to cut my head off. Today at work, our principal had a woman come in with spa stuff to do things with our hands and feet and stuff and I couldn't even bare to stay for that.

May 4, 2009

Today didn't go as badly as I thought it would. I have a new student that is very difficult, but I found something that worked for him for at least part of the day. Now, to see if I can figure out how to get him settled for a whole day. At least it was much better than last Friday.

Tonight Michaela had rehearsal for her concert. It was at the high school. I was going to just drop her off, but Vicky and Deb and Anikca's aunt were there. I of course had to stay and talk to them. It was nice to hang out and talk for a while.

My allergies are really bad right now. I hope they are not causing me to get a cold or sinus infection. So far I do not have any fever or aches, but the other symptoms are driving me crazy.

May 3, 2009

I went to my church this morning. I always feel so much more at ease after having been to my church than I do any other Sunday. It was a good service and I enjoyed it a lot.

The rest of the day I spent working on laundry and paperwork for work. It was not an exciting day, but it was not a bad day either. I am not looking forward to work this week. Hopefully, it'll go by quickly.

May 2, 2009

Today we went to the drag races with Stacey and Steve. We do this every year and it's always a good day. Yesterday, I was a bit nervous because it began raining and I was a little afraid it would rain today, but it was a pretty nice day. There were some clouds, but not enough to keep us from getting some sun. It was also a decent temperature outside.

I enjoy this every year. The races are fun and I really like spending time with Stacey and Steve. Stacey has really become a great friend to me. I always am sad when the time we spend together is over.

Tonight we also went out to eat afterwards. We went to Pasta House. I, of course, always love eating there. It was really nice to sit and visit and eat together.

We came home today with a Nitro Fish hat for each of the kids. Caleb's is khaki colored with a green fish on it. Michaela's is white with a pink fish on it. Michael got a camouflage hat with an NHRA patch on it. I got a really cool t-shirt. It's black, but has a layered look of a white shirt and burgundy tank under it. It has burgundy and silvery flowery type pattern down the left side with an NHRA symbol on it. I really like it.

May 1, 2009

Tonight Michaela went to Taylor's birthday party. It was at Pump It Up! I stuck around for it. There were other parents there and it was nice to talk to people. I enjoy Vicky's company and Angie was there, too. I even played around on the bouncy stuff a little. It was actually a good stress reliever. We gave Taylor a double sided water slide. She was very pleased with it. I'm really happy she liked it.