Life is kind a roller coaster at the moment.
The kids are basically good, but we are fighting colds. Hopefully we are settled into the school schedule...it's only been almost two months already.
I am working to keep up with a class I am taking. I am also trying to collect data for my dissertation. I have made progress with the data, but I am sort of at the mercy of the participants and their schedules. I also had hired someone to transcribe my interviews and his cell phone keeps going to busy. So I am dealing and dealing, and trying not to freak out...too much.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
New to us car!
Thanks to the power of the Internet (and having connections in the right places) we have traded the Silver Honda Odyssey minivan for a few years newer Gold Honda Odyssey! Because it's a newer model it has power doors and another seat belt and more room.
Tiger Cubs
Doug and Andy are Tiger Cubs this year. They are both very excited about getting to wear the uniforms and they REALLY want to go camping.
We have had a couple of den meetings, but tonight was our first pack meeting. They got their Bobcat badge, which is the first patch any cub scout has to earn regardless of when they enter cub scouts. They had to learn and understand 8 things, including the Cub Scout promise and the Laws of the Pack.
Various packs have different ways of honor scouts who level up in some way...and the Bobcat is considered a leveling up. In our pack the kids get to "paint" the faces of the parents and the patch is pinned on upside-down until the parent sees the Cub Scout do a good deed.
Well, with Jim working in another city (and having two meetings today) mom was the one who got her face painted. The "paint" was a washable marker. Andy ended up with green. Let's just say I looked "lovely" at the end of it and that at least he only had one minute to make his masterpiece.
Doug, opting not to help his brother do my face and not to paint his little sister's face, found a random parent in the audience and did her face. She was a good sport and I thanked her later. Ironically, her son was in a wolf den and was new to scouting... he opted to do his little sister's face.
At the end of the meeting I was talking to the Pack Leader. Doug, on his own, helped clean up folding chairs. I was very proud of him and told him so by flipping his patch right-side-up. His little chest swelled and he had to run tell the Pack Leader (and then he was extremely helpful after that).
Andy helped Josie with some things after we got home, so I guess I need to sew on some patches now.
We have had a couple of den meetings, but tonight was our first pack meeting. They got their Bobcat badge, which is the first patch any cub scout has to earn regardless of when they enter cub scouts. They had to learn and understand 8 things, including the Cub Scout promise and the Laws of the Pack.
Various packs have different ways of honor scouts who level up in some way...and the Bobcat is considered a leveling up. In our pack the kids get to "paint" the faces of the parents and the patch is pinned on upside-down until the parent sees the Cub Scout do a good deed.
Well, with Jim working in another city (and having two meetings today) mom was the one who got her face painted. The "paint" was a washable marker. Andy ended up with green. Let's just say I looked "lovely" at the end of it and that at least he only had one minute to make his masterpiece.
Doug, opting not to help his brother do my face and not to paint his little sister's face, found a random parent in the audience and did her face. She was a good sport and I thanked her later. Ironically, her son was in a wolf den and was new to scouting... he opted to do his little sister's face.
At the end of the meeting I was talking to the Pack Leader. Doug, on his own, helped clean up folding chairs. I was very proud of him and told him so by flipping his patch right-side-up. His little chest swelled and he had to run tell the Pack Leader (and then he was extremely helpful after that).
Andy helped Josie with some things after we got home, so I guess I need to sew on some patches now.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Some elaboration
We have had a few rough weeks here.... thankfully everyone is basically okay and there have been good things.
I'll start with the bad and then list the good so we are left with the happy thoughts.
I'll start with the bad and then list the good so we are left with the happy thoughts.
- Jim had a week with high blood pressure. He got checked out and everything (heart, etc.) seems fine...he just needs to watch the salt and the stress levels.
- The mini-van got rear ended. The insurance is totaling it. So Jim is currently in a rental car awaiting their offer so that we can figure out a new (to us) car).
- Andy has had some rough days in school, mostly due to him not wanting to focus. I met with his teacher and hopefully things will improve.
- Doug is currently running a fever (doesn't seem really sick, so hopefully this thing will be short lived).
- Josie managed to get a huge splinter in her hand, but it is healing
- We went to a birthday party and Josie fainted/passed out. We went to the ER and it appears that perhaps she was choking (she had just bit into a chicken nugget) and it might have caused her heart to race or to skip a beat or something. They did a full brain scan (she got to go in the "doughnut") and said everything looks okay. It was just a bit scary because she fell over completely backwards on to a tile floor.
- We have been working out how to redo our kitchen
- We got to go to some fun activities on campus
- The boys are now Cub Scouts and this last weekend we got to go fishing
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Frat boy
Doug has this nick-name...we call him "frat boy"
He likes to joke and play. He says that dad taught him to be silly.
He has a little social butterfly. He is so people oriented that he will find a friend anywhere we go. It does not matter if the child is older or younger...he will play or interact with him or her in some way.
He also seems to sense that he is cute. He likes interacting with college age girls. If we are entering a building on campus, he will run back and hold the door for college girls.
I figure that some day, down the line, he will have valuable social networking skills for some job.... but for now he has the nickname "frat boy."
He likes to joke and play. He says that dad taught him to be silly.
He has a little social butterfly. He is so people oriented that he will find a friend anywhere we go. It does not matter if the child is older or younger...he will play or interact with him or her in some way.
He also seems to sense that he is cute. He likes interacting with college age girls. If we are entering a building on campus, he will run back and hold the door for college girls.
I figure that some day, down the line, he will have valuable social networking skills for some job.... but for now he has the nickname "frat boy."
Monday, August 8, 2011
Ah, the joys of twins....
S we went to open house at the boys' school AND...
There was some confusion about which child was in which classroom. It sounded like something got switched in the computer.
I'll be interested to see where they are at the end of the first day.
There was some confusion about which child was in which classroom. It sounded like something got switched in the computer.
I'll be interested to see where they are at the end of the first day.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
I'm impressed
School starts this week (do you hear mommy cheering!).
I think the boys are ready...for the most part. Doug is mostly saying that he is ready to go back.
So at dinner tonight I asked all three kids if they would name three goals they wanted to accomplish this year.
Andy impressed me the most with his goals. Here are his goals:
I like that he is reflecting on how last year went, that he knows what he needs to work on most, and that he is specific with at least two of his goals.
I can hardly believe that we will meet teachers at Open House and school starts this week.
I think the boys are ready...for the most part. Doug is mostly saying that he is ready to go back.
So at dinner tonight I asked all three kids if they would name three goals they wanted to accomplish this year.
Andy impressed me the most with his goals. Here are his goals:
- To work on being more focused this year
- To get better with his handwriting
- To get better at Reading and Math
I like that he is reflecting on how last year went, that he knows what he needs to work on most, and that he is specific with at least two of his goals.
I can hardly believe that we will meet teachers at Open House and school starts this week.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Romantic at heart
Josie is for the most part a little tom-girl; however, she can be girly-girly too. She loves to wear dresses (and a hat) to church.
Recently, Jim and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. Jim and I actually went out on a date. If Josie had had her way then daddy would be in "Sunday best" with a bow-tie, and mommy would be in a dress, with make-up, and "those heels I've been saving" (Josie's words...not mine). We did dress up, but opted for a little more moderate then heels and bow tie wear.
So a week later, when Jim came home with a cake from a new bakery in town, Josie decided on her own that the cake was for mommy and daddy's anniversary.
Recently, Jim and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. Jim and I actually went out on a date. If Josie had had her way then daddy would be in "Sunday best" with a bow-tie, and mommy would be in a dress, with make-up, and "those heels I've been saving" (Josie's words...not mine). We did dress up, but opted for a little more moderate then heels and bow tie wear.
So a week later, when Jim came home with a cake from a new bakery in town, Josie decided on her own that the cake was for mommy and daddy's anniversary.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
God sometimes forces me to clean out!
Sometimes in my life (like Noah and his flood) God has forced me to prioritize and clean things out.
In the past I have had some incidents with water (a leaky storage unit, water from a cracked humidifier, etc.), but this time is it something more pleasant. A student who is leaving to do student teaching in a foreign country in the Spring, was looking for housing in the Fall. She is a student I happen to know from previous opportunities I have had on campus. So we have cleaned and moved things around and we will have an undergraduate living in what was our guest room. It promises to be an interesting Fall semester!
In the past I have had some incidents with water (a leaky storage unit, water from a cracked humidifier, etc.), but this time is it something more pleasant. A student who is leaving to do student teaching in a foreign country in the Spring, was looking for housing in the Fall. She is a student I happen to know from previous opportunities I have had on campus. So we have cleaned and moved things around and we will have an undergraduate living in what was our guest room. It promises to be an interesting Fall semester!
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