Monday, March 9, 2015
Losing that hour just stinks
I can honestly say that I believe yesterday and today might be some of my least favorite days of the year. Losing that hour yesterday morning is just R.O.U.G.H. Everyone always seems to be able to muddle through that first day, but it's today and tomorrow that always REALLY get to me. It's not helping that I have a little cold and took some NyQuil last night...I can barely function this morning!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
A sunny Saturday
The sun is out and we are supposed to hit the 40's today. That's pretty exciting around here, considering yesterday we woke up with negative wind chills (and nearly negative air temps).
We had company over last evening. It's a couple Andrew has known for years because he is a teacher at the middle school (in social studies) and she is a long-time substitute. Their children are all in high school and we all attend church together. It was nice to actually feel as though we may have some friends here, although that is altogether another post...and one I'm just not sure how to write.
Because of the company last evening, the house is picked up and clean. I almost don't know what to do with myself today! We have plans this evening, but for the next 4-1/2 hours I can just relax a little bit.
I am antsy (as I always am this time of year) to do something about decorating the house. At the same time, there simply isn't extra money in the budget, so anything like that has to come out of the savings. We don't mind spending money to make improvements to the house, but at the same time it isn't always that simple. I tend to be so afraid of making a mistake that I would rather do nothing. It's kind of a vicious cycle.
I'm hoping this gorgeous weather is the beginning of a trend!
We had company over last evening. It's a couple Andrew has known for years because he is a teacher at the middle school (in social studies) and she is a long-time substitute. Their children are all in high school and we all attend church together. It was nice to actually feel as though we may have some friends here, although that is altogether another post...and one I'm just not sure how to write.
Because of the company last evening, the house is picked up and clean. I almost don't know what to do with myself today! We have plans this evening, but for the next 4-1/2 hours I can just relax a little bit.
I am antsy (as I always am this time of year) to do something about decorating the house. At the same time, there simply isn't extra money in the budget, so anything like that has to come out of the savings. We don't mind spending money to make improvements to the house, but at the same time it isn't always that simple. I tend to be so afraid of making a mistake that I would rather do nothing. It's kind of a vicious cycle.
I'm hoping this gorgeous weather is the beginning of a trend!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
The empty square came on a perfect day
Yesterday the square on our calendar was blank. There was still the normal school schedule of course, but nothing else was scheduled...and Wednesday is early release anyway so everyone was home by 4:15! It was perfect because we had some nasty weather last evening, and it was really nice to sit and watch the pretty snowfall from the comfort of our warm couch. We had a hot lasagna for dinner and just enjoyed our scenery knowing that we were safe and didn't have to go out. And we received just enough snow that we had a delay this morning so everyone got to sleep in a little bit.
It is the last empty square that we are going to have for awhile. Next week track practice begins, and while Catherine only practices four days a week, Robert is all five. The nice thing even about that though, is unlike last year, practice is right after school so everyone should be home by 5:30. Family dinner is often my favorite part of the day and I'm glad we make it work out so often!
It is the last empty square that we are going to have for awhile. Next week track practice begins, and while Catherine only practices four days a week, Robert is all five. The nice thing even about that though, is unlike last year, practice is right after school so everyone should be home by 5:30. Family dinner is often my favorite part of the day and I'm glad we make it work out so often!
Hard on a mom's heart
This past week has been tough as a mom. Gratefully, not tough in that my kids have been misbehaving...they've been pretty good. Tough though, in things that cause them hurt that I can't control.
Thomas has mentioned about a boy or two at school that are sometimes mean to him. Sometimes they are physically mean, and sometimes verbally. And of course sometimes they all seem to be the best of friends and everything is peachy. While I don't EVER like anyone being mean to my kids, I know that this particular incident is nothing serious and it's a little hurt.
Yesterday though, we found out about a bigger hurt that has been happening to Catherine. Apparently, there has been a girl on the bus who has been calling her names on nearly a daily basis. Ugh...middle school stinks!!!! Yesterday when the girl decided to up the ante by saying she thought Catherine had guns in her clarinet case (clearly a ridiculously desperate attempt to push buttons) Catherine came back at the girl and began calling her names as well. We first learned about the incident when the middle school principal emailed my husband in the morning, then followed up by saying he and the counselor had spoken to both girls and they were to be separated on the bus. They were hoping this would end the situation. It might, because Catherine says the ONLY issue she has with this girl is on the bus. If it doesn't, Andrew is willing to take her to school for the rest of the year, but it's not overly convenient and not really what we're going for. When Catherine got home, we sat down and talked with her, and my strong little girl sat there and told us about the situation, and tears began to fill her eyes and her voice began to crack...absolutely heartbreaking for a mom! We gave her some coping skills and explained to her that the best thing to do is to stop sitting near this girl on the bus, and that part is really hard for Catherine. She is pretty much one that if you tell her NOT to do something, that is the first thing she wants to do. We also explained that this girl is getting a thrill from getting Catherine upset, and that the more Catherine can ignore her, the more upset this girl will become...and hopefully her lack of success will cause her to stop. That might just be wishful thinking though.
My husband has had an awful experience with a colleague as well...and this man is in his mid-40's! This guy has just become an arrogant a--h--- to my husband, and it's just astounding to me that someone could treat another human being with such disdain and lack of respect. The administration became involved and they totally "have my husband's back" because Andrew truly did nothing wrong and made the correct decision in a disagreement, but it hasn't stopped the other guy from outright calling Andrew stupid. How old are we folks?
It makes me sad, and not just for my family members. It makes me sad for society. When did disrespect and meanness become okay? As I've had experiences with some adults lately it certainly is no wonder that the children behave the way they do given the modeling by the adults around them. I am certainly no saint and I'm absolutely not perfect. I know I have hurt people in my life with my thoughtlessness and selfishness at times, and I regret that. However, it was unintentional...I can not imagine setting out with the intent to cause another person pain...physical or emotional. The thought of it actually sickens me. At the same time, I know that it's going to happen, it's going to happen to my kids, and there is really nothing I can do to stop it. And that is really hard on this mom's heart.
Thomas has mentioned about a boy or two at school that are sometimes mean to him. Sometimes they are physically mean, and sometimes verbally. And of course sometimes they all seem to be the best of friends and everything is peachy. While I don't EVER like anyone being mean to my kids, I know that this particular incident is nothing serious and it's a little hurt.
Yesterday though, we found out about a bigger hurt that has been happening to Catherine. Apparently, there has been a girl on the bus who has been calling her names on nearly a daily basis. Ugh...middle school stinks!!!! Yesterday when the girl decided to up the ante by saying she thought Catherine had guns in her clarinet case (clearly a ridiculously desperate attempt to push buttons) Catherine came back at the girl and began calling her names as well. We first learned about the incident when the middle school principal emailed my husband in the morning, then followed up by saying he and the counselor had spoken to both girls and they were to be separated on the bus. They were hoping this would end the situation. It might, because Catherine says the ONLY issue she has with this girl is on the bus. If it doesn't, Andrew is willing to take her to school for the rest of the year, but it's not overly convenient and not really what we're going for. When Catherine got home, we sat down and talked with her, and my strong little girl sat there and told us about the situation, and tears began to fill her eyes and her voice began to crack...absolutely heartbreaking for a mom! We gave her some coping skills and explained to her that the best thing to do is to stop sitting near this girl on the bus, and that part is really hard for Catherine. She is pretty much one that if you tell her NOT to do something, that is the first thing she wants to do. We also explained that this girl is getting a thrill from getting Catherine upset, and that the more Catherine can ignore her, the more upset this girl will become...and hopefully her lack of success will cause her to stop. That might just be wishful thinking though.
My husband has had an awful experience with a colleague as well...and this man is in his mid-40's! This guy has just become an arrogant a--h--- to my husband, and it's just astounding to me that someone could treat another human being with such disdain and lack of respect. The administration became involved and they totally "have my husband's back" because Andrew truly did nothing wrong and made the correct decision in a disagreement, but it hasn't stopped the other guy from outright calling Andrew stupid. How old are we folks?
It makes me sad, and not just for my family members. It makes me sad for society. When did disrespect and meanness become okay? As I've had experiences with some adults lately it certainly is no wonder that the children behave the way they do given the modeling by the adults around them. I am certainly no saint and I'm absolutely not perfect. I know I have hurt people in my life with my thoughtlessness and selfishness at times, and I regret that. However, it was unintentional...I can not imagine setting out with the intent to cause another person pain...physical or emotional. The thought of it actually sickens me. At the same time, I know that it's going to happen, it's going to happen to my kids, and there is really nothing I can do to stop it. And that is really hard on this mom's heart.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
My husband's family
Last evening we got the news we were expecting, but didn't really want to hear. My brother-in-law is losing his vision. Before I go much further, let me back up a bit.
My brother-in-law (T, for these purposes) was diagnosed with diabetes over ten years ago. Until things began to get serious, he never did a particularly good job of taking care of himself. However, about nine years ago, the complications began developing and it's gone downhill over time. He's lost several toes, and in November, 2013 (the day after my father passed away) he had a paralyzing stroke. As he was beginning to recover from that last spring, he fell out of his wheel chair and broke his femur. He developed pneumonia and became very seriously ill at that time, but was eventually able to return to his home. Last fall the doctors noticed a very serious wound on his foot. It was decided at that time to place him in a care facility because he was not allowed to put ANY weight at all on his foot. On the upside, that has gone as hoped and the wound is healing.
In early December, Andrew's parents began to realize that T wasn't seeing. Because he'd had a virus, there was some hope/speculation that the eyesight would return. I was (to myself) less than optimistic as I was aware that losing vision is often a complication of diabetes. The specialist in December stated that surgery was not an option, but left some hope that perhaps another specialist would have an idea. The fact that T had never been under the care of an eye doctor since his diagnosis with diabetes did not sound like a good thing, but I'm an in-law and keep my mouth shut.
Unfortunately yesterday's specialist confirmed the loss of vision is due to diabetes and not some other event, and because of that is very unlikely to return at all, although some small return is still possible. As his wound is healing, the insurance wants to remove T from the care facility which is understandable. At the same time, because he has been immobile for so many months, and also due to the fact that he is missing toes which affects his balance, he is a serious fall risk. At this time he is unable to get in and out of bed himself or dress himself. My father-in-law is going to be 80 this September and my mother-in-law is 75. They can NOT take care of him. Andrew was quite insistent about this with his parents last night, and they do seem to be in agreement...which as a parent I'm sure is a tough realization for them. We aren't entirely sure what is going to come next for T, but we are sending up lots of prayers that things work out for the best!
My brother-in-law (T, for these purposes) was diagnosed with diabetes over ten years ago. Until things began to get serious, he never did a particularly good job of taking care of himself. However, about nine years ago, the complications began developing and it's gone downhill over time. He's lost several toes, and in November, 2013 (the day after my father passed away) he had a paralyzing stroke. As he was beginning to recover from that last spring, he fell out of his wheel chair and broke his femur. He developed pneumonia and became very seriously ill at that time, but was eventually able to return to his home. Last fall the doctors noticed a very serious wound on his foot. It was decided at that time to place him in a care facility because he was not allowed to put ANY weight at all on his foot. On the upside, that has gone as hoped and the wound is healing.
In early December, Andrew's parents began to realize that T wasn't seeing. Because he'd had a virus, there was some hope/speculation that the eyesight would return. I was (to myself) less than optimistic as I was aware that losing vision is often a complication of diabetes. The specialist in December stated that surgery was not an option, but left some hope that perhaps another specialist would have an idea. The fact that T had never been under the care of an eye doctor since his diagnosis with diabetes did not sound like a good thing, but I'm an in-law and keep my mouth shut.
Unfortunately yesterday's specialist confirmed the loss of vision is due to diabetes and not some other event, and because of that is very unlikely to return at all, although some small return is still possible. As his wound is healing, the insurance wants to remove T from the care facility which is understandable. At the same time, because he has been immobile for so many months, and also due to the fact that he is missing toes which affects his balance, he is a serious fall risk. At this time he is unable to get in and out of bed himself or dress himself. My father-in-law is going to be 80 this September and my mother-in-law is 75. They can NOT take care of him. Andrew was quite insistent about this with his parents last night, and they do seem to be in agreement...which as a parent I'm sure is a tough realization for them. We aren't entirely sure what is going to come next for T, but we are sending up lots of prayers that things work out for the best!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
March is coming in like a lion
I am rarely sad to see February in the rear view mirror. As I've written before, it's just not my favorite month. Yesterday I was finding myself being kind of tired of all the snow on the ground. It had been a week since anything new had fallen, and it all kind of looked icky at that point. Not to fear though...fresh snow has fallen!
We were expected to get 1-3" overnight, then turn over to rain, and then get another inch or two tonight. Total accumulations weren't expected to be much though, because the rain during the day would wash away some of the snow on the ground. Maybe that will still happen, but for right now we are only getting snow. We had over 2-1/2" when I last checked, and it's fallen pretty heavily since then. Everything is nice and pretty again, but I am ready for spring! On the upside, because the roads are such a mess we decided not to venture out to church and after yesterday, a day of nothingness is much appreciated!
We were expected to get 1-3" overnight, then turn over to rain, and then get another inch or two tonight. Total accumulations weren't expected to be much though, because the rain during the day would wash away some of the snow on the ground. Maybe that will still happen, but for right now we are only getting snow. We had over 2-1/2" when I last checked, and it's fallen pretty heavily since then. Everything is nice and pretty again, but I am ready for spring! On the upside, because the roads are such a mess we decided not to venture out to church and after yesterday, a day of nothingness is much appreciated!
Yesterday was a fabulously full day
Yesterday was exhausting, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!! The day began bright and early with Robert and I on the road by 8:15 to head to our former town for a scout meeting. Thomas had art lessons here in town at 9:00, and had to be picked up early in order to get to his 10:30 basketball tournament game. They lost, but Andrew (who helped coach) mentioned that the team had definitely improved throughout the season. Thomas then had a birthday party to attend at 1:00 but had to be picked up by 2:00 in order to make another trip to our former town for his scout "crossing over" ceremony. Catherine had a basketball game at 2:00 so I couldn't make the trip for the ceremony, but Thomas's Godfather and fiance' stepped in to be there for him. Catherine's team did win their game, so at 7:00 last evening they played again, and Andrew and the boys were able to meet us at the gym just in time for the game...a victory in which they clinched the league championship!
It was, without a doubt, one of the most emotional days as a parent as well (somewhat due to being so tired)! As I watched Catherine play in her final games of the season, I was well aware they could very well be her final basketball games ever. She is by no means a star, even as a 7th grader playing in a 5/6th grade league. She has made tons of improvement this season and honestly, you could tell she was older as she was quite a leader on the floor in terms of directing and guiding they other players in their offensive and defensive schemes. However, while basketball may be something she loves, it isn't necessarily her talent, and there will be no chance to play rec next year. I will always be grateful that if yesterday really was the end for her, she got to go out with a victory as a champ!
Andrew's day with the boys was equally emotional. Thomas had completed cub scouts and was crossing over to boy scouts. Because of the age difference in our boys, we had been a part of the cub scout pack for the last 8-1/2 years. Not only was the fact that our "baby" old enough to move on very emotional, but the people made us emotional as well. Thomas had gone through scouts with an absolutely fabulous set of boys. We are grateful that two others are joining the same troop as Thomas, but three others have made a different decision. Thomas will now be in the same group as Robert, and the leader made sure that Robert was the one who got to "greet" Thomas as he crossed over the bridge, and also made sure that Robert was the one who got to put Thomas's neckerchief on. I'm very grateful there are pictures, and in many ways I'm equally grateful I wasn't there to watch it first hand...and blubber like an idiot!
At the end of the day we were all hanging out on the couch and watching some TV shows together and I don't think my heart could've been any more full. We were completely exhausted, but Andrew and I kept commenting on what a great day it had been!
It was, without a doubt, one of the most emotional days as a parent as well (somewhat due to being so tired)! As I watched Catherine play in her final games of the season, I was well aware they could very well be her final basketball games ever. She is by no means a star, even as a 7th grader playing in a 5/6th grade league. She has made tons of improvement this season and honestly, you could tell she was older as she was quite a leader on the floor in terms of directing and guiding they other players in their offensive and defensive schemes. However, while basketball may be something she loves, it isn't necessarily her talent, and there will be no chance to play rec next year. I will always be grateful that if yesterday really was the end for her, she got to go out with a victory as a champ!
Andrew's day with the boys was equally emotional. Thomas had completed cub scouts and was crossing over to boy scouts. Because of the age difference in our boys, we had been a part of the cub scout pack for the last 8-1/2 years. Not only was the fact that our "baby" old enough to move on very emotional, but the people made us emotional as well. Thomas had gone through scouts with an absolutely fabulous set of boys. We are grateful that two others are joining the same troop as Thomas, but three others have made a different decision. Thomas will now be in the same group as Robert, and the leader made sure that Robert was the one who got to "greet" Thomas as he crossed over the bridge, and also made sure that Robert was the one who got to put Thomas's neckerchief on. I'm very grateful there are pictures, and in many ways I'm equally grateful I wasn't there to watch it first hand...and blubber like an idiot!
At the end of the day we were all hanging out on the couch and watching some TV shows together and I don't think my heart could've been any more full. We were completely exhausted, but Andrew and I kept commenting on what a great day it had been!
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