Going back in time

We have yet another full week where it is only JC, HT, and myself at home.  Because we had a rather full day yesterday and there are some things I need to get accomplished here at the house, we are having a fairly laid back afternoon...my favorite!  And the kids are enjoying the rare day of being allowed to watch TV pretty much as they want.  It's a rainy day, and some times we all need to have days like this.  Anyway, I love hearing that my kids have been watching a little of Mickey Mouse and Dora.  It's been a very long time since those have been shows of choice in our home, and I am so enjoying hearing the kids laugh and enjoy them again, even if it's only for a short time.

Perfect rhythm

I have learned my perfect sleeping pattern this summer.  Bed by Midnight, and then sleep until 9 or 9:30.  That's right, I need nine hours of sleep at exactly those times!  Honestly, it's been absolutely wonderful!  People used to joke that I needed more sleep than everyone else and this summer seems to have proven it.  My husband thinks it's because I'm such a light sleeper and not getting "deep" sllep and that's why I need more sleep than most people.  Anyway, without being on a "schedule" this summer, those are the standards for my sleep and it's been perfect.  I'm not tired during the day, I haven't felt any desire to take a nap, and I've just really felt great!

Of course, I think we all acknowledge the problem here.  This is great during the summer when there may be a day here or there where I can't sleep like this.  However, school starts at 8:50, so even on days when I don't have to work, I can't sleep until 9:00.  And yes, I've tried many times over the years to go to bed at 10:00 and sleep until 7:00, but it just doesn't have the same effect on me.  So, it is what it is, and I've enjoyed it while it lasted.  Now though, we are starting our transition to school time again.  So much for feeling great!

Our week without JR

JR was gone all week, and yet somehow, I survived.  I don't like being without one or more of my children, and it was evident by my schedule on Monday and Tuesday where we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off so I didn't notice he wasn't home with us.  At the same time, he absolutely LOVES his new school, and the freedom that goes with it, and the younger two LOVED their hours upon hours of DS playing in the van.

While I'm happy that JR is enjoying his new school, I do have some concerns.  I understand that he is about to turn 13 and that there are certain freedoms he should be granted.  I recognize that my husband and I have taught him well, and this is part of life.  And yet, UGH!  I know that my husband is not keeping an eye on him like I would keep an eye on him.  This is not a criticism of my husband, this is simply a fact in the differences between moms & dads.  I don't know that I've ever prayed more than I have this week!

And the younger two have grown ever closer, if that is even possible.  They've enjoyed lunch out, bowling, baking cookies, and I think the best for them...no fighting over the TV or what movie to watch.  These two never seem to disagree about anything, and with JR at school all day they are pretty sure they are in heaven without having to hear what he wants!

Yesterday was an especially long day as JR and my husband left for school at 6AM, and JR wanted to stay for the football game so they didn't get home until nearly 11:00 last night.  This has been a full week of JR getting up at 5:30 every day, the first time in his life that he's done so.  And that would explain why he is still in bed now at 11AM.  Ah yes, the teenage years are upon us!

Dad is home

I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Dad came home late Tuesday.  According to Mom he pretty much slept the day away, which is honestly the best thing he could've done.  His spirits are pretty low, but we are hoping the comfort of his own home, and the ability to sleep, will do wonders.  It's going to take him a while to bounce back, and I know that bothers him, but I also know he's quite a fighter!

A day to just hang out

Today was a much needed day to just hang out and relax at home.  The youngest two and I had been running errands and being "on the go" almost non-stop since Monday morning.  As I said to my husband last evening, "If this is our new routine, it's going to be very expensive!"  I've had to make trips to my husband's district for the last two evenings, which of course if a 45 minute drive.  I knew there would be those days, I just didn't expect them to be so quick to happen!  Last night was open house at his school and it was very nice to be able to see how things work, and to realize that he really, truly, is in good hands.  Today though, there is absolutely nothing on our calendar, and the kids and I are enjoying a more laid back and relaxed day.

A successful first day

I'm happy to report that JR's first day of school went very well.  He commented on the very small class sizes...he reported their were 15 - 20 students in each class as opposed to the 30 he had here in our home district.  He was successful in getting on the correct bus each was (he is picked up and returned to the high school so my husband doesn't have to make a trip to get him) and overall he seems to have really enjoyed his day.  I'm so looking forward to seeing how this year goes!

The beginning of a new era

My wonderful husband and JR have just left to begin their new school year.  In some ways I think nothing of the change that JR is making because he's so sure and confident about it, and yet there is a part of me, the parental part, that wants me to scream after them, "No, leave him here!"  The change to the middle school environment is such a big change anyway, without adding the change in district as well.  But, I've known this day was coming, although in some ways I guess I thought it wouldn't really ever get here.  I'm sure my parents felt that way about many milestones in my life, and I'm sure it seems to them that I blew past them, just as my kids are flying by in their lives.  Oh, it goes so fast!  Because my husband has a meeting this evening, I have to go pick him up, and we are all going to go out to dinner to celebrate his first day.  I'm anxious to hear about his first day, and I'm looking forward to the car ride home to hear what he has to say...if he can stay awake!

Speaking of staying awake, I'm really torn between enjoying the peace and quiet and being productive, and going back to bed for a couple of hours.  I'm pretty sure I know how this is going to end up though, with me not being a morning person and all!

Update on Dad

Dad is still in the hospital, and probably will be until early this coming week.  I was able to make it up last evening and see him.  He's VERY tired, and VERY weak, but overall he's doing better each day.  I know that all of us have our concerns, as there has never been a hospitalization last this long before.  However, pneumonia is very dangerous even to a healthy person, and he is NOT.  I thought last evening though, that he was in good spirits and we both enjoyed the visit.  He also enjoyed the get well cards and pictures that the kids sent.  Afterwards, my mom and I had dinner and chatted, which we hadn't done by ourselves in forever.

While I was up north, my husband and kids were boating with a good friend and his children.  They had another amazing time on the water and my husband enjoyed getting to visit and hang out.  So grateful for the support of so many friends!

The end of our summer

Tomorrow JR begins the school year as a seventh grader in his new school.  Strangely enough, I'm not terribly nervous for him, and I think that is in part to the fact that he seems so calm about everything.  I also know that no matter what happens, I really can't see it being worse than last year.  My mother-in-law is so concerned that he isn't going to fit in and won't have any friends quickly, but I just kept telling her it can't be worse than last year.  She doesn't seem to understand that, but our friends and family here completely understand what I'm saying.  JR is very excited about the new beginning, and I share his enthusiasm!  It does feel a little weird to be on two different school schedules, because the other two don't begin until after Labor Day.  The one thing JR is NOT excited about is that he has to wake up every day at 5:30.  I suspect he'll be very tired by the end of next week!

Something else he is very excited about is that he now has his own cell phone!  He'd been begging for one and was practically giddy yesterday when we gave him his early birthday present.  I think his favorite feature is that he can text with it.  He was texting both myself and my aunt yesterday.  We've explained that while we certainly know that he is going to have fun with it, we have chosen to given it to him mostly for our convenience and that we expect him to handle the responsibility that goes with having it.  We did also block the internet, which also disables the ability to send and receive pictures.  We've also explained that at 9:00 during the week it gets turned off, and it will spend the night with our other cell phones in the family in our key basket.  We might be the meanest parents ever, but I just don't care!

A glimpse into my future

I knew when we decided that JR was going to be going to school 45 minutes away from home that it was going to mean more time in the car.  Even though my husband will be able to take him to and from school most days, there will be times when I'll need to make the trip over for whatever reason.  Yesterday was a glimpse into the fact that some days are going to be challenging, and I'm afraid there is more fast food in our future!

JR had orientation at 6:30 yesterday.  Because it was predominantly for sixth graders, most of his teachers would not be there.  It was decided that he and my husband would attend, and then we would all go on Tuesday for open house so I would have the opportunity to meet his teachers.  That is VERY IMPORTANT to me!  It also worked out for me to not attend last night because JC and HT had karate at 6:00.  There was no way that I could drop them off and then have JR to my husband by 6:30, so it was decided that it would have to be before hand.  That meant in order to be back to get the others to karate, I had to drop him off by 5:00  I had forgotten that yesterday was move in day for the university in the town where my husband teaches, so it's a very good thing I had planned some extra time.  Of course, in order to make sure that I was there by 5, we had to leave shortly after 4.  If I wanted to feed them before we left, that would mean eating at 3:30, and that just didn't seem reasonable.  It wasn't really a problem for my husband and JR as they would have plenty of time to kill between 5 and 6:30 in order to eat, but what about the younger two?  I decided my only option was to swing through McDonald's when I dropped off JR, because waiting until they got home at 8:00 didn't seem to be an option either.  It gave them the opportunity to eat in the car and have something in their stomachs.  I'll be honest, since recently they've both been experiencing car sickness on the drive back and forth from my husband's work, I was a little concerned about putting THAT into their stomach, but it all worked out fine.  We dashed into karate right at 6:00 and I'd had the foresight to bring the uniforms along so we hadn't had to go home first.  They just needed to change and then they could get started.  I got home about 6:20 from it all, and I realized that there are definitely going to be some more evenings like this in my future.  Let's hope gas prices start going down!

Our last day of summer fun

Today is the last day that we are all home as a family.  I don't feel as sad about it as I did last year, but I think that is because we have until Monday when JR starts and then the others have another two weeks.  I'm sure I'll be dreading it by then...the deadlines and the craziness and all the chaos will resume.

But in the meantime, we chose to spend the day together doing something fun.  JR had been wanting to bowl all summer, and we thought that would be a good way to wrap up the family fun.  And we did really enjoy it, although I'm embarrassed to admit that even though we were ALL (yes, adults included) using the bumpers none of us managed to bowl 100 in our first game.  Everyone's score did manage to improve in the second game though, so that was a good thing (although even then only my husband was over 100)!

Unfortunately, there has also been a downside to our day.  As I was reading the newspaper just before lunch I noticed that the husband of my grandmother's cousin had passed away and that the visitation was this evening.  It was being held not terribly far from me, and it was going to be about a 30 minute for my relatives, but I knew that my grandmother would want to be there if she could.  I called my mom and she didn't answer at home so I left a message.  Then I did something I almost never do...I decided to call her on her cell.  The reason I rarely do this is because she seldom answers it.  Today though, she did answer, and after I informed her of the reason for my call I asked if she had been aware.  She stated that she was not, and that she would not be able to bring my grandmother down because she was in the emergency room with my father and he was being admitted.  This was all a lot of information to absorb in such a short period of time!  It turns out that Dad has pneumonia and a rapid heart rate and they aren't exactly sure if the two are related.  Mom called later and said that she didn't feel it was dire and that she herself was mostly going to be home and let him rest.  So right now I'm just praying that he is where he needs to be and that he can heal and recover as quickly as possible!  I was also able to attend the visitation services this evening, and it was nice to be able to see so much family, even if under such unpleasant circumstances.

All in all, it was a fairly eventful way to end our summer!

A heck of a day

Today has been a heck of a day, but for the most part, it's all good.  We were greeted by news this morning that the superintendent of our schools had resigned or been fired.  By this afternoon it SEEMED to have been confirmed by a school board member that she had indeed resigned, but after this evening's community meeting that doesn't exactly seem to be the case.  As I've mentioned before, there has been so much ugliness in our schools this year, and no longer having this superintendent is a HUGE step forward in moving in a positive direction.  Of course, everything has become ugly again and it's so upsetting.  We still have three weeks until school starts, and it just seems as though we will be starting with so much unpleasantness.  Ultimately though, as long as it does work out that she is gone, I think it's a good thing.

This evening, we also learned very good news.  I'd written before about one of JR's former soccer coaches who had been diagnosed with cancer.  He was diagnosed last winter, and was told he had until June.  If he decided to try treatments, he might be able to see August.  However, we've just learned today that the current scans show no cancer.  Our prayers have been answered...I can think of no other word that describes this other than "miracle".  The man had been diagnosed with stage 4, and yet there was no sign of the cancer on these scans.  We are so very, very grateful!

Our evening has ended with learning that JR has made EXTREMELY poor decisions regarding certain things.  I am so sad and disappointed, and at this point wondering how I can trust him again anytime soon.  It was not exactly the way I wanted to end the day.

My wonderful husband only has two more days at home until he goes back on Thursday, and JR will begin next Monday.  I no longer feel like the summer flies by because I know this is just how it is.  And I'm sure this school year will have many new adventures!

Today's chuckle

The kids are watching the final day of the Olympics, and currently there is synchronized rhythmic gymnastics on.  I heard JC say, "wow."  I asked her if it was impressive.  HT answered, "yes."  JC answered, "No, it's Russia."

Beautiful weather and even more beautiful sounds

We've had the most incredibly beautiful weather here.  It was an AWFUL drive home from my in-laws yesterday (I'll post about our week another time), but I knew in the long run it would be worth it.  There was a cold front coming through, and let me assure you...the weather has been beyond gorgeous.  I ABSOLUTELY love it!  Our a/c is getting a much needed rest, and all the windows have been thrown open.

And even more wonderful are the sounds coming from outside.  All the kids (and the big one...my husband) have been outside for the last hour.  I love hearing the shouts of joy and laughter (and even the shouts of frustration) that are coming from the outdoors.  I feel so lucky to be have this life!

Olympic viewing

Our family has loved watching every minute of the Olympic games.  The only problem is that we had to sometimes choose between watching the Reds play and watching the Olympics.  I've loved not only watching the Olympics, but watching the kids watch the Olympics.  They were actually really looking forward to it this year, and I don't think they've been disappointed.  And they understand that we always root for USA!

Olympic viewing has also made me a little emotional...it's kind of ridiculous!  But when they show a parent who is watching their child, I can't help but tear up.  It's really getting to me this year.  For some reason the athletes themselves can be bawling and I'm okay, but show me a parent who is either proud and in tears, or devastated and in tears, and I'm crying right along with them!  Overall though, we've thoroughly enjoyed our two weeks of Olympics (and it doesn't hurt that the Americans win A LOT)!

A new opportunity

I've accepted an assignment to be a long term substitute for a first grade classroom this fall.  It's only going to be about eight weeks, but I'm so excited about it...and of course very nervous too!  The teacher is due the middle of September so she should be able to begin the year, and I'm really hoping that's how it works out.  I will then be able to sub for her entire maternity leave, which should take us through Thanksgiving or shortly after.  The timing is ideal for me to be a long term sub in a kindergarten classroom after the first of the year, and I might even get to be off for December, so it's perfect timing!

While I'm nervous about the classroom end of things, I'm strangely confident about it as well.  I know that it's going to be very different then just a day here and then somewhere new the next day.  I'm now going to be responsible for grading and planning, and of course dealing with the parents which is honestly the thing I'm the least excited about.  But more than all of that, I'm nervous about how this is going to affect our family here at home.  I've never worked this much as a parent, and although the kids are older and more able to help, I don't want to become a complete monster who no one wants to be around because I'm so stressed.  At the same time, I know that we'll have some extra fun money, which might come in especially handy since everyone has the same spring break this year...I'm already thinking someplace warm!

Weekend at Norris Lake

We returned today from our wonderful weekend visiting our cousins.  I'll be honest, I wasn't exactly overly looking forward to the weekend.  After all, being allergic to the sun and unable to swim are not the best combination for a weekend of boating.  But ultimately, I'm SO glad that we went.  It was actually a rather overcast weekend, and I had packed lots of breathable shirts and pants to cover my skin.  My kids got to do so many amazing things.  They got to go tubing and kneeboarding.  They got to each have a turn driving the boat, and they each had an opportunity to climb up a rock and jump off.  Please understand, all of these things were all agreed upon but all four adults, or they weren't allowed to happen.  My kids got to do so much swimming in the lake and each day brought a new experience.  HT in particular smiled almost the entire time he was in the water until he got out.  JC was especially determined, and my cousin Sue commented on how she is one determined young lady.  And JR loved the fact that he was allowed to help do jobs on the boat and could be trusted with additional responsibilities because of his age.  My cousin's grandchildren are now ages 17 - 25, and they delighted in having younger kids around again...especially kids who were delighted with each new adventure.  We are so grateful and blessed to be able to have these experiences.

And now, it's time to unpack, do some laundry, and repack before we head east for a couple of days!

Can you hear me now?

Today was not our best day ever as a family.  I had a lot to do in order to get ready for our trip to Tennessee tomorrow.  I acknowledge that the bulk of packing for trips falls to me.  I also acknowledge that my children could probably help more than I give them credit, but that I am a control freak, and I need to know that we are as prepared as we can possibly be for a trip.  So basically, I'm stressed.  Yesterday we spent the day going through the boys fall/winter clothes to determine what they are going to need for the year since we are going to visit my in-laws next week and there is no sales tax on clothing there (we had gone through JC's last week).  Today, the children spent most of the day glued to the TV because I was focused on laundry and packing.  About 5:00 I announced that unless they were watching the Olympics, they were done watching TV for the day.  I also informed them (rather loudly, in my opinion) that there were specific chores in the bedrooms (specifically the mountains of clothes we'd gone through) that I had asked them to do that hadn't been completed.  I was not at all pleased, I'll admit.  I reminded everyone that in order to keep me from being irritated and upset, directions needed to be followed.  I then left for about an hour and a half to the grocery.  I had asked my husband to be sure that everyone took baths and showers while I was gone because it was after 6:30 before I left, and I was responsible for bringing dinner home from the grocery.  I was pretty sure it was going to be 8:30 until we ate dinner and I didn't want the kids up any later than necessary since we are going to have some very long (albeit fun!) days ahead.  I called as I was leaving the grocery about 7:45 to find out where we were in the bathing process.  Not overly thrilled to find out it hadn't even been started.  I got home to find my children parked in front of the television watching cartoons, which last time I checked was NOT an Olympic sport.  I then go upstairs to find that in spite of my rather loud reminders before I left, nothing had been accomplished in the bedrooms.  I calmly (and I'm actually not being sarcastic here...by this point I was really too tired and drained to be upset) explained that I was very disappointed and felt very disrespected that they STILL hadn't listened to my directions.  And then, because I was so tired and drained, my tears began to flow.  That would be when my husband got involved and was not at all pleased at our children's behaviors.  I kept asking if I had been talking too quietly during the day...could they  not hear the directions about no more TV and about cleaning their rooms?  Finally I asked, in my best Verizon imitation, "Can you hear me now?"  We all started laughing and it helped to end the evening on a lighter note.  I know that they are kids and that I should be the adult and not get angry.  And at the same time, I hope that I was able to stress to them the importance of hard work, and along with that showing respect for loved ones.  I'm still drained and exhausted, but not a day goes by when I don't feel lucky to be their mother!