There are some good things too

In spite of my "not so chipper" tone in many of my most recent posts, many good things are happening too, and our weekend was definitely an example of that.  Friday evening we were joined for dinner by HT's godfather, and the kids always love that.  I could tell how very tired they were though, because usually they are all clamoring for his attention, and that evening they were pretty much content to just lay on the couch and be potatoes.  I can't really blame them though.  Even the adults were pretty worn out.  Saturday morning JR had another baseball game, but because of the temps (90's) and my sun allergy and asthma, we decided it would be best if I stayed home with the younger two.  We also had lots of outdoor plans later in the day and we didn't want HT to be a miserable human being later in the day.  About 3:00 we left for a friend's pool party, and after a couple of hours of that we drove to northern Kentucky to attend a graduation party for my cousin.  We had ventured down for his brother's party two years ago, and we knew it was being held at a family cabin.  They had rented a sno cone truck and everyone could have as many free sno cones as they could consume (they even had some "adult" flavors if anyone over the age of 21 so desired)!  JR took his fishing pole but didn't have much luck catching anything.  There were lots of fun things to do, and by the time we got home at 10 that night, all three kids had fallen asleep in the van.  The next morning we were up bright and early to join my mom's family on our annual cemetery visits.  We hadn't been on the tour since four years ago, and I felt it was important that we all attend this year.  My cousins with younger children obviously felt the same to a certain extent, as there were 17 of us all together for brunch.  While we are waiting for confirmation from a neurologist, it seems as though my grandmother has a progressive degenerative neurological disease, and I think most of us just felt it was very important to be together.  Since we'd been up so late Saturday and up so early Sunday, the rest of our day was just spent being at home, doing whatever.  My husband and I did a little bit of housework and yard work, but we also watched the Reds game and did some relaxing.  Monday morning my husband, JC, and HT were all part of the local Memorial Day ceremonies and parade.  HT even got to be part of the color guard with his cub scout pack.  We watched the Reds game again later in the day, and got ready for our four day week.  It was really an absolutely wonderful weekend...and it made us even more ready for summer!

It almost can't end soon enough

Counting today, there are only four days of school left, and it almost can't end soon enough.  JR seems to have basically checked out, and in some ways I almost can't blame him.  As my husband put it last night, if he's worrying about getting bullied, it's kind of hard to worry about academics.

 Last night he had a baseball game, and for several reasons I didn't go.  It turns out they were playing the team on which the child who has physically assaulted him during the school year plays.  This kid is one of the worst, if not THE worst player on the team.  I'm not saying that to be mean...I've literally never seen this child make contact with the ball.  Apparently towards the end of the game, this child took a swing on a strike three pitch that had JR's teammates in an uproar.  According to some of the teammates, this child purposely made sure his bat struck JR square on the elbow and he made no attempt to actually hit the ball.  JR was writhing in pain, but his teammates and others in the stands were yelling at the ump over this child's behavior.  While my husband was there, he was coaching another child and did not see the specific incident, but for so many other people to be upset about it, and obviously given this child's history, it certainly is possible that his intention was malicious.  Please understand, not all of the children on the team attend the same school as JR, and even those that do attend with him, because the class is separated into two "teams" with no interaction, are necessarily aware of the history between the boys, so with the reaction of the teammates I can only assume reality is close to the boys' version.

Which brings me to...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!  My husband wanted to call this child's father and let him know what he thought, but I pointed out that there are still four days for this child to seek retaliation, and the younger sister of this child has a history of bullying JC, so let's not get that started up again either.  I just kept praying last night for peace about the situation, and most importantly for JR to not be hurt, emotionally or physically.  And in some way, something good did come out of it.  JR got to see how much his team cares about and respects him...my husband said they were all pretty worked up about the situation.  JR was very happy that so many boys were sticking up for him, and I know that had to make him feel good.  I KNOW that there are always going to be people like this in life, and we've explained to JR that even switching schools isn't going to make it all go away...there will be someone like that at his new school.  But hopefully, JR won't have a target on his back, and I also hope that if he ever sees anyone being treated like he has been this year, that he'll be able to be the support like his team was for him last night.  While I know that sports is not JR's first love, I'm so grateful that he's been able to be a part of such a great team with so many really nice boys, and I'm so grateful for the experience my husband and our friend have been able to give the boys by coaching them over the last three years!

Feeling vulnerable and uncertain

Last week our school district formally announced the cuts that will be in place next year.  Personally, while I do regret many of the programs and benefits that were lost, I do feel that the board made the best decisions possible in order to minimize the direct impact on as many children as possible.  I acknowledge that I do not currently have any children at the high school (and may never have any children at this high school) where the biggest cuts were made, but I stand by my earlier statement.  And this announcement has lead to a great deal of ugliness in public forums.  I'm very grateful I haven't worked much in the last week because things are just so ugly...and I worry how the ugliness is going to impact my kids, let alone the actual cuts that are being made!

I'm also feeling very lost as to how to deal with my children.  I know that they are kids, and part of what makes them kids is that they are going to make mistakes.  I certainly get that!  But when are they going to stop making the same mistakes over and over and over again?  JR is having some serious problems getting homework turned in.  I can think of six assignments off the top of my head since spring break alone...and there might be more if I looked it up.  My husband and I are angry at ourselves because we did not follow through on our plans for consequences that we had decided upon earlier in the year, and now with school being out it's almost too late.  I have informed JR however, that he will be attending "Mom's summer school" this summer.  I've been purchasing books and I'm looking forward to keeping his comprehension and math skills sharp over the summer.  In fact, all three will be doing so, although in the case of JC it is more a review since she struggled in some areas this year.  Her responsibility level has also been lacking and she frankly just doesn't bother about some of her chores, and HT has the responsibility level and work ethic of a flea.  I know that each child is supposed to "own" this aspect of their personality, but as a mom who is always home with them I can't help but feel I'm responsible as well.  Do I not indicate to them that responsibilities come before fun and play?  Am I not setting good examples?  My husband is very supportive, but I still can't help but feel it is in some part my own failings as a mother that have brought us to this point, and I've been doing lots of praying and hoping for the correct guidance to help us all make good decisions this summer...and beyond!

I'm going to miss it

This weekend will be the first Memorial Day weekend in several years that we have not been able to spend a day with my dad at the lake.  I'm really going to miss being able to be up there, but I'm grateful Dad is still around to make different memories.  We'll probably be able to get some things done around here, but I know that this is the first weekend I'm really going to miss that he doesn't have his place anymore.  It was Memorial Day last year that we were all able to be up there for the last time...there's just nothing like it.

After today the kids have six more days of school.  As I've written I'm so looking forward to the year being over, but I'm also going to miss this time in our lives.  This is the very last year that all three of my children will still be elementary students, and quite possibly the last year that all three of them attend school here in town.  Major budget cuts were announced this week, and among the many changes are no more field trips.  I regret that my kids will not get to have the same opportunities of those before them, and I'll be honest, I'm a little angry.  I understand budgets are tight, but the district has acknowledged privately to individuals I know that this was due to a calculation error by our previous treasurer.  Instead of a simple levy renewal two years ago, they allowed that to lapse, and now things are ugly.  I'm going to miss the simpler times.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Officially diagnosed

I was at the doctor this morning.  Friday evening I had noticed some swollen lymph nodes (which have since kind of come and gone) and Sunday morning I awoke with a rash.  I was pretty sure this was all related to overexposure from the sun, and for years I've pretty much known I was allergic to the sun, although had never officially been diagnosed.  Until today that is.  The rash wasn't getting any better, and although I knew if it was the sun that was probably because thanks to baseball schedules I wasn't get a break from sun exposure, so I decided to have the doc check it out.  I've now had a cortisone shot and he says I should be better by early next week.  No games tonight or tomorrow should also help that, and he officially told me I was allergic to the sun and had experienced, "toxic exposure".  The good news is that the rash doesn't itch, but I'll be glad when it goes away!

Our plans for the evening

This evening, our plans consist of...NOTHING.  No one has a ball game and we all get to stay home.  We are all so excited!  Don't get me wrong, HT could go to a cub scout pack meeting, and all of them could go to karate, but all of them decided that a relaxed evening at home sounds like the best plan.  I've even promised them an episode or two of the "The Cosby Show" that we've been watching as a family.  And tomorrow we are headed into a long weekend...we have lots of fun plans and I'm looking forward to it all!

Almost there

In about 45 minutes, my kids will be out of school for the day, and then only nine more days remain this year.  Single digits!  I'm honestly not sure who is more excited, the kids, me, or the teachers.  On most levels, this has not been the best year ever.  Sadly, that is true not just for our family, but frankly for the entire district.  I was so optimistic when the year began that the reconfiguration of our schools would be a blessing.  Sadly, it has been just the opposite.  It seems as though many, teachers and students alike, felt unsettled by the changes.  It was apparent early on that many things had not been thought through prior to implementation, and instead of adjusting with better solutions, everyone was basically just plowing through.  Questions began to be asked by parents, and way too often the answer from administrators was simply, "That's how we've always done it."  I was boggled by how excited the district advertised the "change" in our schools, and yet was slow to make any changes to make things easier for teachers and students...if they did at all.  JR by far had the worst year.  His grade level is about 30% larger than the average grade level size in our district.  And sadly, most of them are borderline thuds.  If JR was hoping to play football in order to fit in, just the opposite occurred.  He was suddenly on the radar of every thug in the sixth grade.  He has been harassed and bullied throughout the year.  The administrator is of his building is futile, and there isn't a single student in that building who seems to fear being sent to his office for discipline.  There were also 30 kids in each class at his grade level, and with that many negative personalities in one grade, there was no way to separate them.  We already know of another family that has left our district, and we know of another who while leaving their younger kids in school, are going to homeschool their current sixth grader next year as a seventh grader.  We also know of several other families who are finding alternative educational options instead of our school district.  And the scary thing is, these are the good families that are leaving...causing the not-so-good ones to become a larger percentage of the classroom environment.  As someone who has worked in the schools frequently, I've also watched as the teachers have become more and more frustrated each day.  They feel as though they have little or no support from their administrators, and they also feel that they have absolutely zero input in decisions that are made.  There are some who feel that teachers should not have input...they are there to teach and not run the building.  However, who are the people that are interacting with out students everyday and might actually have the best ideas on how to help the kids?  Because of significant budget issues, there are again MAJOR changes coming to our schools, and teachers are again being shifted around in their teaching assignments, not to mention layoffs occurring.  I know that most of the teachers love their jobs and their students, and are doing everything they can to shelter the kids and make sure all of these changes impact them as little as possible.  However, it is IMPOSSIBLE not to notice the negativity surrounding our schools as a whole.  I'm disappointed and saddened by the situation in our schools, and can only hope that somehow, someway, next year is a turn around.

All of this leads to the fact that I CAN NOT wait for school to be out this year!  I haven't written about any of this because, frankly, I prefer to live in the world of denial.  But as we are coming to a close, I recognize that I've been feeling a huge burden about this...I want to make the best decision for my children, and their educations are one of the biggest decisions we make as parents!  My husband and I will be doing some researching, soul-searching, and lots of praying as we make our decisions!

What's going on

It was another busy week in our lives, but I guess I don't really want to think of the alternative...the day when my kids are grown and the house is quiet again.  Last week was more work, and although I have another half day scheduled the day after Memorial Day, I'm hoping we've pretty much reached the end.  And by the way, I'll write my feelings about our school year in another post!

JR's baseball team continues to roll right along.  He had a really great hit yesterday, and almost was able to get someone out at third from the catcher position.  It was a hot day, but the team still played really well.  JR also had a collision at first base and my husband is still convinced he should have been awarded first base.  It is what it is though, and I'm just glad that he wasn't hurt in the collision.  We've come to the conclusion that while JR is by no means a baseball star, he's a good solid player and we are willing to invest some money in this aspect of his life.  We are looking into joining a fall baseball league for him, and if we can get enough players interested, my husband will sign up to coach as a team.

Friday night JR officially completed his requirements to move up to the Tenderfoot rank in scouting.  I truly don't understand how all of this works, but I'm so grateful for the leaders that guide us through the process.  We took the opportunity to get some other errands and things done while JR was gone.  He'll have the Court of Honor review Monday evening (which they've assured us he can go first so we can dash to his baseball game!) and then in two weeks he'll have the actual Court of Honor ceremony.  I certainly hope it's cooler than it is today (it's in the upper 80's and I had to break down and turn on the a/c)!

After JR's game yesterday, my wonderful husband took our kids, and a wonderful surprise visitor from out of town to lunch, and another family joined them all for lunch.  I headed north to watch my cousin's eight year old play in his baseball game.  It was one of the few where there were no conflicts with my own kids' games, and since the weather was cooperative I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see him play.  In spite of two applications of sun block, my skin is still showing the effects of so much sunshine!  Last evening my friend and I had plans to attend a "31" party and our husbands gathered the kids together for movie night, and we joined in after our gathering.  It was a very late evening for everyone again, and I'm seeing it a little bit in everyone's behaviors today.  Only 11 more days of school though, and I'm very grateful!

Yellow

Last night at karate, JR was able to earn his yellow belt.  He was very excited, and we were very proud.  He had actually been qualified to test since March, but on that particular evening the head instructor was not there and that is the only person who can give the test.  Then between being grounded (yep, lots) and baseball starting he hadn't been able to be there.  JC is very excited for him, and I know that she is also anxious to follow in his footsteps!

So much for plans

I've learned that making plans is just a suggestion for how I would prefer things to go.  It's by no means a definitive timetable/action schedule.  It's taken me years of motherhood to accept this, but now I just sort of roll with it.  For instance, I mentioned in my Saturday post that I hoped to get back on the computer and write about last week.  Well I am, just 48 hours later than I thought I would be!  In addition, I am supposed to be working again today, but JR is home sick.  I'll be honest, I don't mind one bit being at home.

I worked every day last week, except Monday when HT was home sick with a bad cold.  We also had four baseball games last week which obviously occupied our evenings.  The boys are really, really enjoying being coached by their dad, and my husband is really enjoying coaching them.  It's a really great experience for everyone.  We also had an IEP meeting for JC last week.  She's been on a speech IEP for years, but we are finding that there may be a few more issues in how she processes things.  So far she is doing fine in school, rather well in fact, but I have just noticed some things that concern me.  Her teacher and speech therapist all agreed that giving her extended time for her testing, particularly standardized testing, would benefit her.  I'm not so much worried about the time as I'm pleased that she'll be removed from the classroom and placed in a small group in order to take the test.  I think that will be very good for her.

The kids had a very exciting weekend.  HT was invited to the birthday party of his very best friend, and not only was it an overnight party, but they were kicking the evening off at BounceU.  Needless to say he came home Saturday morning absolutely exhausted, but he had loved every minute of it!  JR went straight to a scout overnighter after his Friday evening game, and didn't return until Saturday evening.  He was able to move up a rank in scouting, and there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping happening there either.  Saturday afternoon was a 5K walk/run to benefit JR's soccer coach who is battling cancer.  JR wasn't home early enough to participate, but JC walked.  I'm very proud of her for completing her very first 5K!  She went along with her best friend, and I was home with HT and the younger children of many of our friends.  All together there were six kids here, and that was when I thought I'd be on the computer.  They were all enjoying the outdoors though, and I was outside getting some yard work finished while they were all here.

My kids had asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and my answer was simple...I wanted to sleep in!  Because the kids had been so worn out from there activities, they all slept later than I did!  It was funny when JR woke up yesterday and came downstairs at nearly 10:00.  He said, "I thought you wanted to sleep in."  I replied that I had slept in, but that he had slept even later!  We drove to my grandmother's and had lunch with her, my parents, sister, and my aunt.  My sister and I decided to run up to visit my other grandmother who had been hospitalized late last week.  We were surprised to get up there and discover that she was being discharged and was just waiting for someone to take her home.  Got to love the communication in the family!  So our quick "how are you visit" turned into quite a bit more.  We are glad that she is home and resting though, and that it doesn't seem to be anything serious causing her to feel poorly.  We still had to help my parents move some things at their house because they are having the entire house painted starting today, so it ended up being a much longer day than I had anticipated.  I mentioned to my husband that maybe next year, we would celebrate me being a mom on the day before the actual Mother's Day, because the day itself never seems to be terribly relaxing!

I think that pretty much catches us up on everything that's been happening.  We have more ball games, work and karate lessons this week, and who knows what else the week will bring!

He's out!

There is so much too write about, and it was one of those weeks with not nearly enough time.  I expect to be able to get back on here and write about some other things later today, but this post is about our lives with baseball.  We had four games this week, and both our boys' teams look GOOD.  In fact, our older team is becoming referred to as the "stacked" team.  I'm not sure that is really the case, but in all honesty, the don't have a player that is a guaranteed out at every bat.  That's not to say they are all great players because they aren't, but there none that are really bad.

Last evening JR had a game.  It was an absolutely perfect evening for baseball.  We have several friends with kids on the same team, so it was a really nice way to spend a Friday evening.  We were the home team, and therefore in the outfield first.  Joey was our pitcher and he had a very efficient first inning pitching only nine pitches.  It was capped off by a spectacular catch in the outfield by Michael, the son of our very good friends.  Our boys were also doing really well at the plate, and by the end of the first inning we were up by a few runs.  In the bottom of the second, Joey gave up a few hits, and a run managed to score.  A player came up and hit a ball to left field, and as I told my husband last night, I'll always remember it in slow motion.  It was as if we were watching a movie frame by frame.  The opposing team's player began running down the third base line towards home (this would be where it would be good to know that JR is playing catcher, and doing a nice job of it!).  I remember looking at JR who was standing to block the plate.  The left fielder hit the cut off man, and although the cut off man made a decent throw to home, it took JR away from blocking the plate.  The runner was almost home when JR caught the ball, and made a diving swipe to tag the runner as he slid into home.  The place literally went silent for half a second as we all looked at Jarron (it's a small town and we all know each other.  The ump's wife used to babysit my kids and we work together) and waited for the call.  And the call was OUT!  I remember jumping up and everyone in our stands started cheering.  I'll be honest, I get a little teary eyed that my son had made such a great play, and my friends Krista, Jen and I all mentioned that we had goose bumps.  It was such a great moment for him!  Of course it was still early in the game and there was still plenty of baseball to be played, but it was so awesome that he had that moment...and it was also really nice that we went on and won the game!

700!

Wow, this is my 700th post!  Apparently I flatter myself into thinking I have things to write that people want to read about!  Seriously though, I do hope that everyone enjoys my stories about the kids, and I appreciate having a place to vent when that is needed as well.  My big 'ole 700th post will simply be about life and what we've been up to lately!

On Friday evening, the JR and JC were able to attend a Dayton Dragons game as a reward for the year of service in Safety Patrol.  The Dragons lost, but you'd never be able to tell it by how excited JC was when she got home!  I was concerned because she doesn't have a lot of friends, and I was afraid she wasn't really going to have anyone with whom to hang out.  She's definitely my girl though, and I'm finding that she prefers hanging out with friends that are boys rather than girls, and the boys are willing to let her.  She loved every minute, and I'm pretty sure that when she fell asleep that evening she was still talking about it.  JR enjoyed it too, but it was his third year, and Heaven forbid he get excited about anything, especially if his sister is excited about it.

Late Friday evening we received a call that the opening day baseball games on Saturday were being canceled, but that the parade was still on.  Some might think this is absolutely absurd, but I long ago learned that this board is going to work on getting the parade in no matter what.  In that regard it was a relief that they went ahead and got it in Saturday morning.  It was also the fastest parade I've ever seen as every truck/float drove by at breakneck speed!  Since the games were canceled, we drove up to my parents who were having a garage sale.  An aunt and both grandmothers were there to help, and I was very glad to hear that it was a very successful day for them.  They were exhausted at the end, but they were very pleased they were able to get rid of so many things.

Saturday evening found us at the First Communion party for the daughter of my best friend.  It was such a fun evening.  My friend's family was in town, and I hadn't been able to see them in years.  Most of them hadn't met our children, and it was wonderful to be able to catch up with them.  We hung out and visited, and the kids ended up with another late evening.

Yesterday morning was the wrap up for Sunday School at church.  There is always a year end picnic that is thrown as well.  I enjoy it, but since I'm not currently crazy about attending church, it seemed hypocritical to show up for just the picnic.  The kids had another "full of fun" afternoon, and they were pretty wiped out by this evening.  Early bedtimes all the way around!

HT woke up this morning not feeling well at all.  I'd had a miserable cold last weekend, and since I wasn't scheduled today I decided to let him stay home.  If he felt anything at all like I had, there was no reason for him to suffer, and since this is the only day this week I'm not scheduled, I decided that to keep him so him while it was convenient, instead of having to deal with it being inconvenient later in the week.  His cough is better this evening, and we've been using the nebulizer because I can tell it's causing his asthma to flair.  It also works out well because this is the only evening all week that no baseball games are scheduled.

And that brings us current...and ready for another crazy week!

Twenty more days

I don't particularly like the fact that with four weeks left, I'm counting down the school days.  To be honest, I've pretty much been doing this since spring break.  I don't like wishing time away, especially as big a chunk as couple of months.  And yet, I'm longing for summer and the key word is definitely "break".  I worked every day last week with the exception of Tuesday when my aunt had surgery and I was at the hospital with my family.  I was originally scheduled every day this week, but there was a scheduling snafu and I was told Friday that I wouldn't be needed today.  I tried not to cheer out loud!  And that makes me feel guilty.  If I don't work, we absolutely can not afford any extras in life whatsoever.  We did fine up to a few years ago with just my husband's salary.  However, inflation of what we purchase and no increase in salary has made that a distant memory.  I'm not complaining...we are still better off than many, many people and we are very blessed.  And I LOVE subbing at the schools.  However, I also recognize that I'm not always a terribly nice person at home when I have to work all day every day.  See where the guilt comes in?  I certainly wish I could do a better job of handling stress and enjoying each moment!

HT's First Communion

As we quickly approached HT's first communion, I commented that you could tell he wasn't our first.  When JR had his first communion, all three kids got new clothes, the reservations were made well in advance, and we gave lots of thought to his gift (which, four years later, I have no idea what it was).  Nine days before this one I was sitting with the mother of HT's best friend, who has three children the exact ages and genders as mine.  We were both commenting that the big event was only a few days away, and we basically hadn't given it the first thought.  I knew that both godparents, my in-laws, and two sets of family friends would be there, and that was about all the thought I had put into it.  After days of nagging, my husband finally made our lunch reservations and I knew that everyone had the clothes they needed.  JR and I went the Friday evening before (just about 38 hours prior!) to pick out HT's gift, and for the most part we decided on a small token and cash.  I spent about 45 minutes on Saturday evening trying to locate HTs' dress socks (seriously, this was cutting it a little close) and that was about the most effort I had put into it.  Then, this adorable little class of six second graders walked into Mass Sunday morning.  I had already taken pics of HT in his suit, and enjoyed seeing another of his friends, but seeing our friend Sophia did me in.  I've known her for so long, and seeing her dressed in the beautiful dress and veil put me over the edge.  There I sat bawling like a baby!  I'm sure many people thought I was emotional that my youngest was making this big first step, but reality was it was the others that made me so emotional.  That, and the fact that this really is such a great group of six kids and HT is good friends with almost all of them.  We were so grateful to share the day with so many good friends, who truly are like our family.

Our lives

It's definitely the end of the school year.  It's absolutely crazy busy around here, and I know it's going to get even crazier.  Yesterday was my one day off in the midst of about three solid weeks of working.  I specifically took the day off so that I could be at the hospital with my family while my aunt Cathy was having surgery.  I absolutely adore this aunt, and while it was expected that everything be okay, I couldn't bear the thought of not being there if, God forbid, something went wrong.  My mother (it's her sister) and grandmother were there, along with two of my cousins (my aunt's daughters) and the husband of one of them.  Fortunately, everything went fairly well and she is resting comfortably.  We've pretty much been doing baseball practices non stop, although we've had some evening showers this week that have somewhat curtailed what can be accomplished at these practices.  My husband is out of town today and tomorrow, which just adds to the craziness.  In addition, my in-laws were here this weekend and we celebrated HT's First Communion.  That, however, is an event worthy of its own post, and I shall try to return here soon to share that story as well!