August 29, 2009

Today was the first day of football season, and both girls are in cheer leading, so it was busy.  Dayton got here at 5:30 this morning and we went back to bed for awhile.  I got up and showered, then had the girls shower and fed them all breakfast.  Both games were at home, and Taylor's started at 11.  We were there by 10:30. Whitehall won 30-0.

The girls did really good, and had fun with it.  Their halftime routine was a huge hit!  It was done to a montage of Michael Jackson music.  I later showed Taylor the Thriller video to show her where some of her routine came from.  She and Heather thought that was really cool.

After Taylor's game we came home.  Dayton was picked up at the field by his Mom, so it was just the girl's and I.  Jon went to Grand Rapids to his friends house.  They went to a car show.  Once the girls and I were home, they watched tv and played on the computer and I napped.  I love napping, lol.

We went to Heather's game at 5.  I ended up having to run back home because I forgot the snacks.  Grrrrr.  It was raining off and on during the whole game, which we lost.  0-28.  Heather's cheer squad did really good, too.  It's neat to see the different capabilities of the 2 squads as well as the football teams.

The girls and I came home and had dinner, then vegged.  We were all tired, them more than me, of course, since I had a nap.  Now I'm just playing catch-up again.......

Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend was a great one!! Jon, the girls, and I spent the weekend camping with Mom & Tom, Deanna, Justin, and their 3 kids. We met them at the campground at Manistee National Forest on Saturday, early afternoon. We went for a couple of hikes, and watched the beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan. We had a taco bar for dinner. It was cold at night, but Tom hooked us up with a little space heater in the pop-up. Getting up to go to the bathroom was not fun; it seemed like the bathroom was MILES away at 3 a.m. lol.

We got up Sunday and made an awesome breakfast! It was scrambled eggs in between bread, with sausage thrown in there, too, and cooked over the fire. We then drove up to Sleeping Bear Dunes, which is where the pic above was taken. This was where we stopped for lunch. We got back to the campsite late, 8:30 or so. Made a quick dinner and sat around the campfire.

We got up on Monday and went out for breakfast at a place not far from the campground. We then went back to the campground to pack up and head out. The girls and I got home in the early afternoon. I got home and napped. Long days, but fun.

May 5, 2009

Geez, it seems like I'd be able to do this more often, lol. I could, but sometimes I just don't feel like it. But I do want to keep this going because I want the girls to be able to look at it someday and remember "stuff".

This morning was a nice one; I only had Sydney and Quinn. Sometimes I like the smaller groups because then they get more one-on-one attention. I got to play and bond with the 2 of them and do some teaching, and it comes to me a little bit more as I progress through school. I know that going to school and learning new things does wonderful things for me, and I'm hoping that it shows through the children that I provide childcare through. I love the teaching aspect of what I do; it's so amazing to watch these little one's do things or say things that I don't quite think they get, but then they prove me wrong, which is ok with me!! I can remember when I didn't think that Darrin was "getting it" when it came to learning shapes. Then one day his Mom came to pick him up, and he looked at a poster that I had on the wall and started naming those shapes that I had been trying so hard to teach him. He just stood there and rambled the shapes off, as I stood there with my mouth gaping open!! I learned that it wasn't about what I was teaching him, but about what he was learning!! And that was much more than I had hoped for.

So I had a pretty relaxing morning. Katie got here at 11 and took over for me, which was nice. I've been throwing myself at the books for the last couple of weeks. The first couple of weeks of school I was seriously slacking, and it showed on my first test of Psychology. Seriously, who gets a D in a Psychology 101 test????? There was a lot of biology in that first test (which I stink at), but I still could have tried harder. So now I'm gonna bring that grade up!!!!

Heather had an appointment with her counselor. We started doing Neurofeedback a last week. What an AMAZING process!!! OMG, I cannot describe how cool this technology is!!!! But I'll try, lol...... Basically, the counselor (Marcia) did an extensive questionnaire with Heather and I about what we thought her problems were (mainly ADHD, OCD, ODD, and daytime and night-time bed wetting). The questions lasted one whole session (an hour). Heather is hooked up to electrodes that go to certain parts of her brain, depending on where the questionnaire said to, and she is hooked up to a monitor, which is hooked up to a laptop. That laptop is hooked up to the counselor's laptop, and the counselor can program what to do with Heather. Heather is given appx. 10 games to choose from. For instance, one of the first one's that she chose was a Pac-Man type game. But instead of being played with a controller in her hand, she USED HER BRAIN WAVES!!!! What an amazing thing to watch!!!

In another game, there are 3 boats. Each boat represents the 3 sections of the brain. The goal is to make the middle boat stay in the winning position, while the 2 boats on either side stay a little bit behind, but also have to stay up somewhat near the middle boat. What this does is teach the sections of her brain to work together. Absolutely amazing to watch her play a video game on a computer with her BRAIN, not a controller that's in her hands!! A little creepy, but I cannot imagine why more doctors don't use this treatment. It seems to have great results, and there haven't been any downside to it in it's history.

After her session, we went to her dentist appointment in Whitehall. Ok, so I flew, otherwise we would have been late. She had a cavity to fill. I have a case of that bad Mom syndrome because my kid had a cavity, but here's a couple of reasons:

Of course, tooth brushing. Yeah, she can suck at it. It can be one of those battles that every parent goes through, but with the ODD (oppositional defiance disorder), that's one of the things that I tell her to re-do and she flat out refuses. Short of physically holding her down by sitting on her and brushing them myself, there's not a whole lot that I can do. Bad parenting? You decide. But, come on over and be with my hard-headed ODD kid for a day and I'll prove to you that it may not be bad parenting after all.....

So anyways, we got done there at the dentist and came home. Katie, Judy, and the kids were outside, and we chatted for a bit. Judy was up for another job, but it doesn't look like it's gonna pan out for her. They didn't want to give her a schedule; just basically wanted her on call. I'm sorry, but no. And she agreed, I think. Seriously, retired or not, everybody has a life and things to do!!

Katie came in and made supper. Judy went home.... I was supposed to have an interview at 6:00 tonight, but it was another no-show. I'm SSSSSOOOOOO sick of those. I don't really prepare for interviews anymore, except some cleaning (thank you, Katie!!!), just because so many people don't bother to show up or even call to cancel/reschedule. Unreal that they don't even have that common courtesy......

So I spent a little extra time with my friends and my kids, and that's good, too. Since putting the girls to bed I've got a lot of studying for Psychology done. And I'm getting tired; so I guess I'll think about going to bed........let's just see if I can stay asleep for a change.......

April 18, 2009

Kind of a quiet day. Heather, Taylor, and Jon went to his parent’s house, near Mt. Pleasant. Gail had today off and wanted to take the girls to the new Hannah Montana movie. I had kids today and couldn’t go. I had originally taken this week-end off for the Girl Scout camping trip, but opened up for daycare to make the money once the trip was cancelled. I didn’t know Jon was going to go until after I had opened up for daycare. At least I had good kids today……

I spent a lot of time cleaning. It’s spring time, that’s all I can say. I’ve started cleaning things that have been neglected, cob-webbed corners, closets, etc. I thought about cleaning the carpets today, but decided not to. Glad I decided against it, because I ended up cleaning until almost midnight as it was. Now I just have laundry to do. We use fans in the windows to cool the house and everything ends up with a layer of dust/dirt. Drives me nuts. It’s only been this week that we’re using the fans, but already the dust has begun.

We went outside today, too. It was 70* and beautiful. I thought about doing yard work, too, but ended up kicking a ball and chasing kids, lol. So I guess I got my exercise in. Could be worse.

Hopefully going to get through some of my 2300 e-mails and to-do pile before I fall asleep tonight. I actually have all day tomorrow, too, but I’m so much more productive at night. Guess it’s the part werewolf in me, lol.

April 16, 2009

Yesterday was full of errands and running around. There was no school because of conferences, but daycare wasn't busy; I only had 3 for lunch. Judy came over at 1 so I could leave. Heather & Taylor ran around with me; kind of nice to have a girls day.

We first drove to the mall. Sort of. We got to Airline Drive when I realized that I left my wallet at home. Nice. My clip for my cell phone broke and I was hoping it would still be under warranty, but it wasn't. I have a $25 gift card for JC Penney so I was going to get new shoes, but with no wallet that wasn't happening......

Errand number 1 a waste of time. Stopped and got the Durango washed. I was at the bank the day before and was opening the door to get in. A bird shit just as I was doing so, and I counted my lucky stars that it had missed me. It had, however, hit not only the mirror on the way down, but the inside of the door as well. Of course I didn't notice that at first. I was driving down the road and noticed white on the tan interior of the door and thought, "WTH is that????". I'm REALLY glad I didn't touch it or try to get it off before I realized that it was bird crap.

So anyways, after washing the truck we dropped some paperwork off to Heather's new counselor. I wanted to give her a bit more history on Heather, so I gave her copies of school progress reports, report cards, etc.

We then ran home to pick up my wallet. And something to eat; the girls were hungry. We then went to the library. After seeing that I have over $5 in fees due because the books were late again, I told the librarian that I needed to schedule Katie or Judy for one afternoon per week to just run errands. I usually try to get them done whenever I can throughout the week, but that's not going so well; there's things being done late or too quickly, which frustrates me, so maybe if I have them work on a Friday morning where I can just go do what I need to do it would reduce that little stresser or mine.....

Went to conferences after that. Taylor's were first. Mrs. Snell said that Taylor is (as usual) doing very well. Academically and socially. She's my little social butterfly, and always helping out in the classroom. If she's not helping another student she's helping Mrs. Snell with things around the classroom. She tends to get her work done and almost never has homework, so I knew she does well with that. And her grades are awesome. They're not all A's, but she only has one B right now. Her MEAP scores came out very well, with her being proficient in science, reading, and writing, and advanced in math. Don't know where she get's those math smarts from, lol. When asked the other day, she said that Science was her favorite subject. I wanted to note that, because I'm really curious as to if that stays true. It was cute, in a note that she left for me to read for conferences, the first sentence told me that what Mrs. Snell had to say was important, so to pay attention. LOL That's my Tay!!

Heather's conferences were good, too. She is still very disorganized and her handwriting is horrible at times, but her work has improved and I think her teacher's are more aware of what she is capable of. She excels in math, and the MEAP scores showed just that. She was also found proficient in science, reading, and writing, and I'm happy with that. I just don't know what to do with her next year. I've asked for extra help through an hour of just study time at the end of the day for her, but if she does that she'll miss either science or social studies. I don't want her missing a whole class for up to a whole year for the extra help. I think the middle school teacher's do more when it comes to posting assignments online, so I guess I just need to find that out. Mary (her teacher) said that frienship-wise, Heather is doing ok. She never comes home and talks about friends, and when I ask her who she hangs out with during lunch, recess, free time, etc., she usually says no-one or an adult. So I worry about her making and maintaining friendships, but maybe that's just the Mom in me. Her grades could be better, but she needs to turn in the homework that she's given. Nine times out of ten the work is done, she just doesn't turn it in. Who knows why...... But I'm proud of her either way.

April 15, 2009

Another day almost down…… I've been sick for the past couple of days. We got together at Mom & Tom's for Easter dinner on Sunday and Justin and Mom ended up sick, too. I've had body aches, nasal discharge (isn't it amazing how much snot one can produce???), had a 101* temp last night, and I just wanted to scratch my sinuses right out!! But I'm better today. Really tired and snotty, but I think it's on it's way out since there's no more fever or chills.

Heather & I were supposed to go camping with her Girl Scout troop this week-end. It was a service week-end, and we were going to help do spring cleaning at the GS camp. But then Connie (troop leader) learned that we weren't staying in cabins after all, they were called "tent cabins". I'm thinking like a big tee-pee or something. But they're un-heated. Ummmm, no thank you!! It's been 30*-35* at night. I'm sure not all of the girls even have decent enough sleeping bags for that kind of weather. So we bailed out. We are going to Mackinac Island in June, though, so that will be fun.

I had classes today. They're going pretty well. I'm really learning a lot in the Comp 2 class, and liking it, too. My instructor is very clear and gives great instructions. Our first paper is due next week, so we'll see. All of the papers are argumentative and are in APA format. Last quarter's paper's were in MLA format. Figures, lol. Now I have to learn a new writing style. Evidently more and more schools are going with the APA format, and just not using the MLA much anymore. So at least I have the basics of MLA down; I won't be totally in the clouds if assigned that writing style again.

I really like the psychology class, too. I've always had an interest in human/social services. I could switch my major, but am not ready to. Haven't decided, I guess. I would love to teach preschool age; we'll see. Since I'm only taking a couple of classes per quarter I'll be 90 before I get a degree, lol. That's ok, I really like going to school.

Ewwwww, I'm watching CSI New York right now, and the M.E. pulled out a dead person's stomach, emptied the liquid green stuff, then smelled it. Lol

After school I stopped at Walgreens & picked up Heather's scripts. Then I went to Whitehall to pick Heather up from Girl Scouts. Came home and ate, then packed up Heather, Taylor, and Brianna and took Heather to softball practice. She did pretty well, and didn't lose much ability since last year. Taylor had fun; I finally let her go over to the playground. It's scary to let her go play on her own. I mean, she was with a friend, but it was one of those times where you hope (as a parent) that you've taught your kids what to be leery of and how to be careful and safe when not right in front of you…….

Came home and got the kids snack, Taylor took a shower, and got the kids to bed. Now it's time to play catch-up. Honestly, I don't know where the time goes….. Oh wait, I'm blogging, lol. I know that I have a lot on my plate, but it's how I live and I'm really happy with (the majority of) my life. I get over-whelmed about once a week, but "this too shall pass". And I know in my heart that I'm doing what's best for my kids. For the most part I can be there for their extra-curricular activities and school stuff. I do get busy with daycare, but I have 2 amazing assistants who help me out where/whenever I need it, and for that, I am grateful.

Ok, rambling done….. gotta get to my to-do pile and back to my popcorn. Hey, I have my priorities, ya know….. J

Easter Sunday, 2009

It was a good day. I stayed up too late again, and slept in until around 10:30. The girls and the phone kept waking me up, but it was nice to lay there and doze off.

We went to my parent's house for dinner today. We had ham, scalloped potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, Deanna's jello, deviled eggs, and more. Kelsey made cupcakes, and the cupcake and the frosting had crushed pineapple. GREAT CUPCAKES, KELS!!! I love pineapple..... Anyways, we sat around and chatted for awhile, had dessert, then came home about 5:30. Jon dropped Heather, Taylor, and I off at home and he went to his parent's house near Mt. Pleasant.

I've been doing paperwork and cleaning up since then. I like to start the week off with a clean house, and ended up cleaning Friday night, then again today. We're pigs, lol. I did have daycare kids here on Saturday, too, and that's usually messy. I still have to do my billing and actually have homework to do. Not sure if I'll get to that homework, but.........

4/9/09

Today was a pretty busy day with lots of kids. It's spring break, so there's a few extras hanging around. Makes it more fun, though. I just wish I had more time to do individual things with each of them.

We started a new baby this week. Her name is Emma and she's 7 months old. She's a good baby and loves to play with the infant toys.

Heather & Taylor came home today from my parents house. They've been there for the past 2 nights. It's nice to open their bedroom door after they've gone to sleep and just look at them.

Heather is doing WONDERFUL on her new & upped meds. Her ADHD and ODD is so much more in control, and she's noticing it, too. I am loving the extra and longer hugs from her; she sure can be such a sweet kid!

I started back to school this week and am going on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have Comp II from 12:30 - 2:10 and Psychology from 2:30 - 4:10. I really like these 2 classes. I've always enjoyed writing and English classes in high school. Haven't written in a loooong time, though, lol. Things have changed in the past 18 years, to say the least! And I really enjoy human services kind of work/learning. I liked working for Pathways when I was a Parent Aide. But the pay sucked and it just doesn't work having a 2nd job when my daycare is open 24/6.

I ended up with an A in Healthy Environments and an A- in Comp I last semester. Made the Dean's list again. Hopefully that will help with any financial aid that I'll need. I didn't have to pay for anything again this semester. I have, in the past, had to pay some out of pocket, then get reimbursed. It's no fun paying the payments, but the check at the end of the semester is nice.

Typical Taylor

Some say Taylor is just like me some ways...... I suppose this would be one of them.

She made herself a couple of waffles, then put syrup on them. She used the last of the syrup and threw it away. She told me that it was gone and I asked her to see if there was any in the utility room. She said no, and asked me if I wanted her to put it on the grocery list that hangs on the refrigerator. I told her no, I was sitting at my desk, so I'd just put it into my Palm pilot. She came over to watch me do it. Then she went over to the couch and sat down.

I said, "Ummm, are you going to eat those waffles that you just left in the kitchen?" She had forgotten about them. lmao Yeah, that's my Tay......

My Poor Hoover....

One of my INDOOR cats has fleas. Seriously, how does that happen? lol So I went to PetsMart today and got some flea meds. I've done this on her before; it's the kind that you squirt on the scruff of her neck. But this time I bought a different kind, since I've had to do this before. She hated it last time, and she hated it this time.

But this time I wrapped her up in a blanket (not very well, though), and Katie squirted her. Katie missed, lol. Hoover hauled ASS back to my bedroom to sulk under my bed. She came out a while later and I saw that she was licking it. After seeing on the box to NOT let the cat get the meds into her mouth, I got a little concerned. So I called my vet's after hours number. He said that the otc stuff can be lethal if ingested, so she needed to be bathed in dilluted dishsoap. Great..... we've done that before, and let me tell you, Hoover HATES water.

So I put on a sweatshirt and some gloves and had Taylor shut the bathroom door behind us. Hoover knew as soon as she saw the tub of water. I did the best that I could, and I hope I haven't killed my kitty. She's on my bed now licking herself. That's gonna be one sore tongue!! lol

Sunday and into a busy Monday, March 16, 2009

Yesterday was awesome!!! I woke up around 10, all alone. Jon and the girls went to his parents for the week-end. Of course, I had kids on Saturday, so I couldn't go. When I woke up I had planned on going outside to clean up the yard a bit, leaves & stuff. But it was only 36*. Ummmm, no. lol So I worked on my to-do pile for awhile. At noon it was a balmy 54*, so I ventured out. Ohhhh, it was SO NICE outside!!!

I started cleaning out the garage last December in between last quarter's class and my hysterectomy. I had a little bit to finish up, so I did that yesterday. The rest is Jon's; just stuff that I don't know what to do with or how to do it. I'm sure if I put tools & stuff away it would be in the wrong places....

Got done with that and started raking leaves outside. I raked the driveway (strange, but true), around the front of the house, and the east side. Until the blisters started. I was out there for about 3 hours. Came in and showered; it was a wonderful shower since I was icky, lol. I worked on e-mail, my to-do pile, and homework, then took a nap. Got up and did paperwork for the week for daycare.... Very productive, I was.

Today was busy. Heather did not want to cooperate in being nice this morning. She can be so mean sometimes; I just don't understand it. She'll yell and scream at kids, calling them names, especially Taylor. Poor Tay has to take the brunt of Heather's moods most of the time.

I did find out, though, that we still have insurance coverage. I thought that between Jon's actual date of termination and when we got the paperwork and the check in we had nothing. But the coverage is still in force. Yeah!!! What a relief!! Heather's out of her Focalin 5 mg. tomorrow and has been out of the Focalin XR 15 mg. for a week or so (I've been compensating with 2-20 mg.), so the insurance will be nice!! I hate not having her stable on her meds; I don't want to mess up that little body any more than it must be.....

Katie got here at 10 and I showered.

Heather & I ran errands today; just had a Mom & Heather day. We went to the doctor to pick up Jon's prescriptions and make him an appt. We had to sit there longer than usual; they have a new check-in system now. It used to be that we could walk in and the receptionist would recognize me and grab what I came for, but they're evidently being more strict on getting people in in the order that they arrived. Fine... lol

Then we went to Wal Mart. We both needed shoes. We didn't find any there, but I got her a Hannah Montana tank top, one for Tay, and a pair of shorts for H. I know H will need the shorts this year; I'm pretty sure she's outgrown close to everything she has. But I only paid $3 each for them, so I was happy with that.

We went down the strip mall to Payless for our shoes. She's in a size 4 1/2, which is the last kids size that she'll wear; the next size goes to woman's. She was kind of sad about that, lol. She may not have be able to have the HS Musical shoes that she wants. Growing up is tough....

We then went into McD's to use the bathroom. The handsoap STUNK!! Anyways, we got our food and headed out onto the highway. We drove to Holland to her Dr. Dirkse's office (her psychiatrist). He gave me a voucher for her Focalin XR 15 mg. and Abilify samples. For one thing, it's saving us $60; for another, it may be a couple of days before I can actually pick up her scripts just in case the insurance doesn't actually go through on time.

We came back into Muskegon and stopped at Walgreens for Jon's scripts and to p/u some pop. His insurance wouldn't go through, so I was blessed with calling around Shape's HR dept. again. Grrrrr. She said it was a mistake and that it would be put through by the end of today. And it was.

We then went and washed the Durrrty Durango, cleaned the interior, and vacuumed it. Gotta love the free vacuum at the place across from Meijer!! And the wash only cost me $3 because I had $6 left on a card.

Went to Meijer after that. Great sales this week, some things I bought even though I didn't need them. But they're things that are I buy on a regular basis, and I'd rather buy them on sale than for regular price. It will all work out at the end, because I won't spend as much on the other trips.

Came home and put groceries away, made dinner, and shoved the last of the kids out at 7. Not really, the last one's were Kailynn & Emma; and they're easy. I've been working on homework ever since (other than the motherly duties, getting the girls ready for bed, etc.).

This is my last week of class. I know I'm getting an A in Healthy Environments, and a B+ so far in Comp. I. I have the last essay & a powerpoint presentation in English due this week, so hopefully I can keep those grades.....

I think my final essay is better. It was a rough start; for some reason I just haven't been able to wrap my brain around it and make it make sense since I first started it. When I first started it, it just flowed SOOOO easy!! But it's on ADD/ADHD in Girls, so the topic is pretty close to home. But I don't have a choice at this point; I had to buckle down and "Get 'er done!" lol. Ok, so I watched the roast of Larry the Cable Guy last night.....

OMG, I need to post more, lol. Guess I was long-winded tonight. But I'm also watching CSI & the news, and it's now time to work on business stuff and my to-do pile for a bit. I'm beat, and don't think I'll be going for too much longer without sawing logs.....

I'm cold

And I hate being cold. But I'll live. I plugged in my chair and maybe my ass will be on fire shortly..... But who gives a shit. Told you I have random thoughts, lol.

I slept today until almost noon. But I actually slept like shit and woke up more than I slept, so really I didn't sleep in. Or did I..... That's one of the great things about having kids who are a little older. I can doze off on the couch and they are fine with doing stuff around the house. I can trust them (I hope, lol). And if Heather starts yelling at Taylor, I wake up enough to stop it.

I then cleaned for the afternoon. Oh, what fun. Jon vacuumed the bedroom and our bathroom and changed our sheets, and that helped alot. But there's still a shitload of laundry to do. It will happen eventually...

Taylor went to a birthday party today from 2-4. It will be the last time that she goes over there, 'cuz they smoke in the house. I told Taylor that if she wants the little girl to come over to play here, that was fine; but that I wasn't going to let her go back over there to play. I think she understood; as much as an 8 year old can. And when she got home I made her put her jacket and clothes into the laundry basket and take a shower. Eww

I made spaghetti for dinner. It was nummy. I use Prego for the sauce; the flavor is just awesome, imo...

We had a family movie night. We watched Space Chimps. It was cute. Taylor made popcorn, and I made Heather's fleece blanket. She wanted to sleep with it, but I'm washing it first. That's just how I roll......

My Weekend

It seems like my mind has such random thoughts all the time. I often wonder if it's normal....

Jon and the girls went to his parent's on Friday night. I had Riley and Bronson then and Saturday night. Pretty easy nights; they're good boys. Katie came over yesterday, too, and we had a counseling session. Great friend; it's nice to have one again. I got screwed royally by my last one, and it messed with me so that I couldn't trust anyone for a long time. I completely opened up to her, and she took so much from me. Money and friendship don't mix, I've learned......

Yesterday I started exercising and tracking my food again. I've got to do it; I just feel like it's time. Again. I go back and forth to caring about it to not giving a shit. It felt good to exercise; I did 15 minutes on the elliptical, sit-ups on my ball, and some strength training, too. I'm going to have to give up my gym membership, I'm thinking. Since Jon lost his job there's going to have to be more cuts made......

But right now I want some damn chocolate.......

Not-so-busy-Friday

Actually, today sucked for income. I had 3 kids all day. I had 2 from 11-11 and one from 3-6. And the funny thing is, there was no school today!!

So I got up and gave Heather her pills at 7:30 this morning, then went back to bed. Got up at 9 and exercised, showered, and got ready. Katie and I took Matthew, Heather, Taylor, and 2 daycare kids (Riley & Bronson) to the local nursing home with some valentines to hand out. It was neat, seeing all those people smile at the kids. The kids were apprehensive about approaching some, but did pretty good after the first half-dozen or so. I guess gray hair and wheelchairs can be a little overwhelming, lol. And after we were done we talked about why we visited the home; that sometimes their families and friends couldn't come and visit them and they get lonely.

Came home and Katie made lunch. I ran to Meijer to exchange an elbow splint that I bought last night. The one that I got was too small. I've worn the new one pretty much all day & night and I must say that my arm feels better. (I had carpel tunnel surgery on my right hand in October. When I went back to the gym, I over-compensated with my left hand and now have tendinitis (tennis elbow) in my arm). Getting old sucks.....

I tried napping, but couldn't. Got up to clean. Then just did the usual; clean, laundry, feed kids, read books, cuddle with kids, put them to bed, etc.

I watched Diane Sawyer's 20/20 show on people who live in the Appalachian Mountains. Holy sad. They live in such poverty, and some try to get out, but cannot, or will not.

I should get up and finish cleaning, but I've been exhausted for a couple of hours now, so it will probably wait until tomorrow.....

I really should have been more productive....

I really should have been more productive today....

But I wasn't. I slept in this morning until about 8:45. But, for some reason, by 10:30, I was falling asleep at my desk. Not kidding. So I layed down around noon until 3ish. Talk about a day half wasted!!

Got up and the girls and I did some homework. Mid-terms are next week and I have a couple of assignments due, so there's plenty to do in that department. I only have one problem with taking this English class. I find myself typing and re-typing, and re-reading, and re-typing everything!! Good Lord, Sara, it's a BLOG, not an assignment!! lol

Then I spent a good portion of the evening on Facebook. More time wasted.... lol. But I think I needed some mindless things to do for awhile. I finally decided to be a little more productive. I've been sorting my file-sharing files, listing on eBay, and working on the pictures that are saved on my computer. I like to burn cd's of photoshows for people, but it actually takes a little bit of work. I'm also anal about the pics, so I have to edit them first. I really enjoy doing it though; I just wish I had more time to put towards it.

Heather was pretty good today. Actually, she was really good today. The only time that I had to holler at the girls today was 20 minutes before bedtime, because they decided to start running around the house. Of course Jon was helping, so he got yelled at, too. Such is life.....

So I guess I'll go back to actually doing something.....

Another day......

Today was pretty normal. I only had 2 kids this morning, so it was pretty calm.

Yesterday Heather, Taylor, and I picked up my Mom in Hart and went up to Scottville to watch Austin & Trevor's hockey games. They're just adorable out there!! 'Course they wouldn't like that word, lol. They both lost their games, but Austin made a goal and Trevor's so damn cute with his glasses on!!

We then went to my sister Deanna's and made home made pizzas. Ohhh, they were yummy!!! Came home and cleaned and did homework.

Last Saturday Heather, Taylor, Katie, and Matthew and I went to Subway, then to Shyann's birthday party at Jumpin' Jupiter. Shyann and her brother Alec used to be in my daycare. I miss them terribly!!! They're growing so fast.....

I still have lots of homework to do. They say to do 2 hours of homework for every hour of class time. Hmmm, wonder if I have 16 extra hours per week to study??? lol Yeah, right..... But I'm really enjoying it. My English class is really easy. I was always good at that in high school & enjoyed writing. Now I like it much better because of Microsoft Word 2007, lol. Let me just say that technology has made school MUCH easier!!! And to think that I loved my typewriter in high school!! lmao

Heather's been ok, her moods swing like a chimp on a tree. Today was really good, and I just love that. Her psychiatrist told me to keep track of her moods, their times of day, month, etc. We're going to try and figure out if her bitchiness happens once a month or if her meds need to be adjusted. We'll see......

Taylor's doing exceptional. She's really a smart little shit. She's still getting all A's and never has any homework from school. Kind of boring, lol. Tonight she had an extra credit assignment to write and illustrate a fictional story for a Reading Rainbow competition. She may not win, but she's so damn cute and did a great job.

Jon's still laid off from Shape. He's supposed to hear something within the next couple of weeks as to whether or not he's getting called back. Our insurance runs out on the 17th, so cross fingers, toes, boobs, whatever you can cross for good luck!!! We already have a ton of money each month going out for scripts and we couldn't do it without insurance.....

Thursday, January 23, 2009

Got up and got the kids ready for school as usual. It wasn't as cold this morning as what it has been lately; I don't think the wind chill was below 0 today.

Came in from the bus stop and WENT BACK TO BED!!!! Yes, it was AMAZING!!! I didn't have any daycare kids until 11:30 this morning. I was sooo tired, but I also stayed up until 4:30 the night before. I got up at 11:20 and took a shower. I love sleep.....

I piddled around the house a little, then went to class. I have English 101 on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 2:30-4:10. I'm really enjoying this class. I liked it in high school, too, so that doesn't surprise me. We've been given back one assignment so far and I got a 20/20. Hopefully I do just as well on the rest.....

After school, I was going to go to Whitehall to the gym, then pick up Taylor after Girl Scouts. She forgot that she was supposed to go to GS and went home instead. I came home and decided to move my elliptical into my bedroom. It's been in my bathroom (I have a really big bathroom), but I get so bored so quickly. So Katie and I moved things around in my bedroom and put the elliptical there. I then got on it for a mile.

Heather was pretty good tonight. Last night was horrible; she REFUSED to do her homework. Not just her homework, but her LATE homework. She'd better straighten up; they don't allow late assignments in middle school next year....... Her ODD was in full force last night, though. She had some vocabulary words to write in cursive 5 times each, and it was due 4 weeks ago. She has several other missing/late assignments, too, but sometimes not matter how much I take things away, it just doesn't matter to her. It's going to be a tough 9 years ahead.....

Jon's still laid off. He's getting some unemployment, but it still sucks. He's bored & pissy and needs to go back to work. Insurance runs out on Feb. 19, so I pray to God that he goes back before then. We'll be totally screwed if he doesn't......

Ridiculously Cold

For the first time EVER!!! my kids were late and missed the bus on Wednesday last week. I was supposed to have a 7:00 drop-off, and they were my alarm. They didn't come until 8.... I had another daycare parent get here at 7:45 to get her granddaughter and my girls on the bus; that was my wake-up call. Luckily she offered to take my girls to school that day. THAT was awesome.....

So today, it's NEGATIVE 15 degrees. EVERY day I have kids with snowpants start getting ready at 7:42, then at 7:45 the rest of the kids get dressed and ready for the bus; then we go out. Evidently today the bus driver was a little ahead of schedule. We stood out there in the freezing cold for 15 minutes before I decided to warm up the Durango and have us sit in it. We sat at the bus stop for a few minutes before I decided that we were late, not the bus.

I took the kids to school. OMG, I do NOT miss having to get up and go to work outside the home every day. It's too damn cold for me!!!!

There, my whine fest is done......

Got 10 inches yesterday....

Of snow. Honestly, who needs 10 inches of snow in less than a 24 hour period????? My front yard is up to my chest, and taller than Taylor.

Anyways...... We went to the Dutcher's for the week-end for Christmas. It's late, but Tyler (Jon's nephew) came home from California. I think that boy is trying to get a ton of seeing friends in the week that he's home. It's good to see him, though. It's funny to think that he's a "grown man" now. He's only 19, but to see him living on his own many, many states away is strange. What happened to that cute little 4 year old little boy who got embarassed because he said hi to me and called me by Jon's ex-girlfriend??? lmao OMG, that was funny!!

So I've come home and am working on paperwork, billing, etc. Trying to get ready for the week. I'm 2 weeks worth of themes behind; I really need to get that moving. I like to be prepared for the week to actually teach those little heathens something. So, I guess I'll get moving........

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Well, here it is. January 1, 2009. I think everyone stops to think about what they want for the new year about this time, and I'm no different. I want to be more financially stable, I want to lose weight (eating healthier and exercising more), I want peace and happiness for all of my family and friends..... the list could go on.

We're starting off a little rocky, I guess, but I know that we are blessed. Jon and I have our marital problems, but I want us to go to counseling. I was just waiting for the new year; it's been so chaotic the last couple of months. But right now, that's my number one priority.

He's also been laid off. Hopefully not for long, especially because we will lose our health insurance in mid-February. Not cool. So the sooner the better when it comes to him getting back to work.

Heather is doing ok right now; she's a little bitchy lately (excuse me for calling my 10 year old bitchy, but it is what it is, lol). We've taken her off of the Prozac, and I think some hormonal changes are happening.

And my weight, well, some I can control, and some I can't. I'm on some meds that make me gain weight. What I really need to do is scrape my taste buds off, then I'd be fine. And going to the gym has got to happen on a regular basis, 'cuz I'm tired of being fat!! But I have to wait for the doctor's ok since I had the hsyterectomy 2 weeks ago. But I feel confident that I can at least start out on the treadmill...... baby steps.

So that's it. Oh, and I hope to blog more. When the girls were born I started notebooks for them, where I would write to them about their days. I ran out of time for that YEARS ago. But, with the technology that's out there now, there shouldn't be any reason for me not to type it all up. Yes, writing it out is more personal, but I think in the long run they'd rather have me hang out with them and do something than take the time to hand-write everything.

So, love to you all. I don't say it often enough, but my family and friends is the most important thing to me, and I hope to express it even more than what I ever have.........