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?????