Feeling relaxed

My husband commented last evening and this morning how relaxed I seem. I can feel it too. I'm so glad that spring break is here. I know it seems selfish, but I now have an entire week of no lunches to pack and just hanging out with my kids. They got to watch a movie last night, and we are all just enjoying a little more of a laid back pace.

Report cards also came home yesterday. They all had a's & b's...nothing less. JR in particular really improved his grades and we are very proud of all of them. One quarter to go, and then another school year is done. It seems so hard to believe!!!!!

Spring break is here!

Spring break officially begins for the kids when they get out of school in 15 minutes. I don't think we've ever anticipated a spring break more than this one (well, probably the year we went to Disney!). With absolutely no snow days or delays, we've been going full time for way too many weeks...and we are TIRED. I see it not only in my kids, but the kids at school and even the adults who work there. Of course as with every year, my husband has to wait another week, but his school is closed next Friday and he's taking Thursday off, so we are able to head to PA for a couple of days. I really wanted to spend Easter at home though, so we'll be home the night before Easter and get to spend it with my dad's side of the family. So grateful for that! I know that we are all looking forward to a few days of sleeping in and just hanging out without worrying about deadlines, due dates and schedules. Baseball practices will begin the week they go back to school, and time is really going to fly at that point! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

I took a nap

I'll be honest, I just woke up from what was about a 30 minute nap. I wish I could tell you that it made me feel completely refreshed, but that is not really the case. We have been very much on the go since (well, let's be honest, when were we not?) about two weeks ago, and my work schedule has added to the craziness. As always, I'm very grateful for the opportunity for some extra money, and I really do enjoy subbing. It's just really worn me out. I've been having some leg pains that make it difficult to sleep at night, and with the kids' activity schedules sleeping on the weekend hasn't really worked out either. Tonight the kids had a two hour karate lesson, and since my wonderful husband was kind enough to take them, I actually allowed myself (not sure I could have fought it if I wanted to) to fall asleep. Tomorrow I am not scheduled to work, and next week is spring break. Oh, how very much it is needed around here!!!!!

We've been schooled

Today my husband was attempting to use the iPad to look up his assignments for his grad class this week. I had noticed when I had picked it up the other day that there didn't seem to be as many apps as before, but since I don't use 95% of them, I didn't particularly care. As my husband was using the iPad today he asks me if I have grouped the apps. I replied that I had not, but noticed they seemed to be gone. Apparently they are not actually gone, but you must now open the "group" of apps in order to get to some of them. When we realized that neither he nor I had done this, we realized that it must have been one of the children. We called them all together and explained that they were not in trouble (although they have been told they are not to be making any changes to the iPad settings, and several of them are "locked" by a user code) but we were wondering who had grouped our apps. HT proudly spoke up, and the proceeded to show us how to do it! With the technological ability of my children these days, I'm starting to really feel my age!!!!!

Drained

I'll be honest...I'm drained. Completely and totally drained. Thank goodness it's Friday, because I'm really not sure I could get through another day. Not that we have a quiet and relaxing weekend (do we ever?), but at least the only children I have to deal with are my own. Don't get me wrong, mine are no angels, especially right now, but at least I don't have to deal with the attitudes of others. Last week when I was subbing in third grade, I had a child who just simply refused to do his work. I reminded him several times to sit and work on his math, and that just wasn't going to happen. Finally, I walked over and moved his clip (on the discipline chart) to yellow. His response? He actually had the nerve to tell me that I couldn't change his clip because I hadn't given him enough warnings. Are you kidding me? Needless to say I walked straight over to the chart and moved it to orange and explained that he was not allowed to speak to me that way. That is NOTHING though, compared to today. I was in fifth grade, and I actually had a child say to me that (and this is a direct quote) "I am allowed to talk back to you because this is a free country." I DON'T THINK SO! I said that might be the case but there are still consequences for actions, and he found that out. At the end of today I was reminding several students that if they couldn't settle down and be quiet, they were going to be following along from the hallway. One (particularly obnoxious) child asked, "Oh, oh, can I go too?" Needless to say her request was honored and out she went with the warning that if I hear from her again, she'll be on her way to the principal's office. And keep in mind, these children are rather young...can you imagine when they get older? What parents allow their children to behave this way?

And the homefront isn't much better right now. JC and JR have decided (again) that homework seems to be optional and only if they get around to it/feel like it. HT is in a phase where he is being sneaky and lying. And I'm talking BIG lies. Of course I'm not just letting any of this be okay, but I'm starting to feel lost. I'm starting to feel like no matter what I do, and I honestly hope that I do the right thing and make the right decisions as a parent, but I'm starting to feel that the forces (i.e. disrespectful, rude, and irresponsible children) that they are around at school everyday are just going to take over. It's an overwhelming and exhausting feeling right now, but I'll just keep at it (and with lots of prayer too)!

It's warm here

I refuse to turn on the a/c in March. Just not gonna do it. It's hard to believe that yesterday was the first day of spring because a) it's been feeling like spring mostly since mid February, and b) it was in the 80's and felt more like summer. I've told my husband that perhaps we will use some calamity days after all, but instead of snow days off in January or February, it'll be heat days in May. It seems ridiculous to think it could be in the 90's in May, but at this point I'm pretty sure anything at all is possible.

Only eight more school days until spring break! We are so looking forward to some time off. I was subbing in a first grade classroom yesterday, and this time of year, coupled with the fact that the classrooms are already becoming uncomfortably hot, makes it challenging to keep behaviors in check. Our own three are no exception. We still have 2-1/2 months of school, but I'm afraid "shut down" mode might come early this year. I was in tears Monday evening, feeling like I was the worst mother ever. I know that we all have rough evenings, but that doesn't make me feel much better about it.

On the upside, we have absolutely nothing on our calendar this evening, so perhaps the entire family will be able to be out and enjoy the gorgeous (albeit warmer than I'd like) weather!

Each phase

Before I had children, I remember a co-worker who has a son several years older than my oldest (and an only child) that she was telling me how there was something to enjoy about each phase of her child's life. I remember at the time wondering what on earth there could possibly be to enjoy about the phases once they were out of the cute and cuddly phase, and especially once they were into the preteen and teenager phase. But my children have definitely taught me the joys of each phase. Of course I enjoyed the cute and cuddly phase, and HT still likes to curl up with me and enjoy a book or watch a little TV, and I love that he does. But now I'm also enjoying their independence. When my husband and I were sick at the end of January, not only did the kids not really need us to take care of them in the evening, they were a huge help in taking care of us. And of course with their additional freedom comes a little bit of freedom for us adults, as we are able to carve out chunks of time where we can run to the grocery store, or even grab a quick bite to eat without taking the kids along. Now, though, my oldest will be 13 this year. I always wondered, mostly with a great deal of trepidation, what this phase was going to bring. And in several conversations with JR in the last month, I am so excited about it! He is definitely going to experience the normal teenage angst, no matter how much I wish none of my children had to deal with that. But in talking to us, he's pretty philosophical about things, and recognizes that some kids just aren't that nice, and he can't control that. Hearing him talk about his perspective and being able to share his feelings, oh, I was just so proud of him. I made sure to tell him that too, because I want him to be able to share these things with us, especially as things may get rougher into the teenage years. He's also developing quite a sense of humor and we've had several laughs over things. I am so loving watching the person that he is becoming, and I know that I'll feel the same way about the other two as they enter this phase. I understand now, how there is something to love about each phase (still not convinced on the starting-to-drive phase though)!

Yay! They're home!

Starting this week, JR and JC attend an hour of after school tutoring on Mondays and Wednesdays to help prepare them for the standardized testing that takes place next month (my feelings about this entire experience I shall not share here right now). HT and I went to the grocery on Monday while they were gone, but yesterday we came home right after school. He had a snack, but had no homework to complete so he went out to "shoot some hoops" (he loves to say that). After a short time, he came in and asked if I wanted to throw the football with him. I agreed, and we went out and threw the football a bit, and played a quick game of one-on-one with the basketball (while I may have him height, he gets me on energy level!) and then we even played around on the swing set for a few minutes. I enjoyed hearing him tell me a few things about his day, and I loved what happened next even more. I noticed JR and JC crossing the street to our house and I pointed out to HT that they were home. He ran to them from the back yard yelling, "Yay, you're home!" It was so cute how much he had missed them in just an hour and it was very sweet to see how happy he was that they were home!

Eggs...the great motivator

Our mornings do not always run smoothly around here. HT is pretty convinced that there is absolutely no reason to get moving in the morning. He is SO not a morning person. I do truly understand as I am not one myself, but as an adult I recognize deadlines, and the school has a definite starting time. This morning was another morning where I didn't have to work and we are still in the "off" week for safety patrol, so I told the kids that if they got moving and everyone was ready in time, I would make them eggs for breakfast. This also happens to help me in the fact that I have a couple dozen eggs that are entering their "sell by" date this weekend and I'd like to make sure they get used up before then. I had to laugh how it turned out. Guess who the first child was that was ready this morning...yep, HT! He was ready and WAITING for me to get those eggs cooked (they are one of his all time favorite foods). I still have more so I offered to make them again tomorrow (I have an appointment so I know I won't be working) and I suspect it will be equally successful!

Rare morning

Today was one of those very rare morning when I didn't have to get up and get ready for work AND no one had to be out the door early for safety patrol. It was so nice! Both JC and JR have signed up for safety patrol this year, and it is on a three week rotation. JR is on one week, JC the next, and the third week they are both off. It's not a bad schedule and I have no problem with them having to leave for school 10 minutes earlier than normal, but it doesn't allow for sleeping in until the last possible moment like today did. I just really felt that we ALL needed it. And it still wasn't a terribly rushed morning. Today the sun is shining, everyone got some extra sleep, and life is good!

Spring has sprung

(alternately titled, The Winter that Wasn't)

That is what my husband has been calling this winter...it wasn't. Not one single snow event worth anything, not one single hour of school delayed because of snow. Just nothing. As disappointed as I feel, I feel very badly for the young kids. As a child, there is something so magical about snow, and especially the snow that accumulates enough for outdoor fun. And there are only so many winters that one gets to be a child and feel that magic, and kids have had this winter ripped away from them.

I'm also learning how much kids rely on a snow day as an extra day of down time to sleep in or just relax. It's always challenging this time of year to keep everyone motivated, but I see it not just in my kids, but in many of the kids at school. Everyone is just worn out.

The one advantage to losing our hour of sleep last night is the fact that today is an absolutely gorgeous day, and we all get an extra hour to enjoy it. I'm grateful for the abundant sunshine today, but I'll be honest, I still feel cheated out of a winter of snow!

Pluto exploded

The other day as we were all getting ready for our busy days, JC asked me if Pluto (the former planet) had exploded. I replied that it had not. She said, "that's what HT just told me." HT said his teacher had told him that. I explained that she probably said that Pluto had been demoted and was no longer a planet. He said, "that's what I just said!" So I'm guessing that HT heard "demoted", didn't know what it meant, and decided it sounded awfully close to exploded, which would make sense when he heard it was no longer a planet...can't be there if it exploded! We've all had quite a chuckle over this!

Our lives

We've certainly been staying busy around here, but mostly in a good way!

Friday afternoon I worked, and after school we all waited for the severe storms to move in. Our area was very much spared from any damage, but I had a few relatives in the direct path of the deadly storms. Fortunately, I was able to learn very early on that everyone was safe and sound. As I had left school that afternoon, I had noticed I wasn't really feeling very well. When I got home I took my temp, and sure enough, I was running a fever. I ached and had a horrible cold. I took some NyQuil and went to bed at about 8:00, but I knew it wasn't a good sign when I couldn't sleep IN SPITE of the fact that NyQuil ALWAYS knocks me out. I dozed on and off throughout the night, but surprisingly, I woke up Saturday feeling much better.

Saturday we took the kids to my grandmother so that my husband and I could have a bit of a date in the middle of the afternoon. It was the last regular season UD game, and the kids had all attended an equal number of times so it was my turn! When we returned home that evening my energy had pretty much left, so we all just hung out and relaxed during the evening...even had ice cream for dinner!

Sunday my wonderful husband took the kids to church and I stayed home to pick up the house. My parents had decided to come down for dinner, and we had been attempting this for weeks so I hated to reschedule again. The house certainly needed it, but my energy level just wasn't up to it yet. We got enough done though, and everyone went to bed early Sunday to try and get this house healthy for good!

This week I've worked everyday, but we've purposely cut back on the kids evening activities for the week. JC had a science test that required extra time, and JR had a project due today that also required extra time. We want our kids to be able to do fun things in the evenings, but we also don't want the stress of scheduling that sometimes goes along with it. So, we are trying to find a "happy medium" and determine what works for our family. I'm sure we aren't the only family to feel this way. Overall, it's been busy, but all is well!

A morning off

I have the morning off, and I'm so grateful! I haven't had a full day off since early last week (not counting the weekend of course) and I have to be in at noon today, but at least I have a few hours to relax, and at least accomplish a couple of things. I am working all day again tomorrow and am already scheduled for Monday morning, but I have no idea what the rest of the next week will bring. Not even going to think about it though. I'm just going to enjoy my cup of coffee, and hopefully I'll be back later on to post about a few of our things in the last week!

He made me laugh

This morning we had one of those wonderful one hour in service delays for school. EVERYONE desperately needed that extra hour of sleep, although rarely do any of us actually sleep the entire extra hour. It's not necessary though, because it means that we've all awakened with our own body rhythms and not to an alarm clock, and it's just always a more pleasant morning. I don't work until this afternoon, so that makes it even nicer! The kids were asking about our plans for the evening, and honestly, they depend upon the weather situation. My husband and I both agreed that if the storms are bad this evening, we are simply staying home. Otherwise, we have plans to join friends at a fish fry at a near by church. Because it is Lent, no meat on Fridays, so a fish fry is always a nice way to spend a Friday evening. HT however, is not such a big fan. In fact, when I informed him of my plans this morning, he informed me, "By the way Mom, I gave up fish for Lent." I couldn't help but laugh...nice try bud!

Gotta love the weather!

I am very amused that our weather forecast for this area for the next 72 hours includes BOTH an elevated risk for severe weather tomorrow (most probably straight line winds, but tornadoes are a slight possibility) and snow for Sunday. Is there anything more adventurous than March in the Midwest? Thank goodness we aren't traveling...how does one even pack for such a forecast?????