not normal yet

Well things haven't really settled in yet, so I've been putting off writing on my blog. But last night before I went to sleep, I was reading my Jan. Redbook to hurry and finish it so I can read my Feb. one that came in the mail yesterday. And there were some articles in there that inspired me to get back into it again. I haven't gotten back on here mainly because the home computer is not up and running right now. We have only my husband's laptop in commission right now, and I'm not fond of typing on it. I always bump the little mouse pad with my palm and hit the caps lock button most of the time when I'm reaching for the "a".
I went back to subbing last week, but am off this week. And Kristi was right, the middle school students really are the best to work with. I have horrible memories of middle school, so I never expected them to be so well behaved. I have been sticking with mostly half days, which makes sure I'm home in plenty of time before Holly gets home. This helps to keep the stress down especially if I take a high school job (they really are a bit hard to handle since school boards are so scared of them now and let them do ANYTHING they want). And it is something for me to get out of the house and feel productive with, without making it a struggle or feel stressful to keep the house chores kept up like I like.
This last weekend Larry went to East TX in hopes of a possible sale off of Craig's list on some items him and his brother had listed. Holly and I stayed behind. We had a party for my friend Kristi's daughter Megan's 1st birthday. It was a fabulous party. And if Larry and I are ever blessed with a baby, I am putting her in charge of his/her's first birthday party.
On Sunday, I was relaxing watching my DVDs of Gilmore Girls and working with my kniffty knitters. (I keep trying to learn to knit on my own, but I have fumble fingers and stay too busy lately to spend a number of hours getting good enough where I can lay it down without loosing my place). Holly suddenly had the urge to work on one too, and asked to knit on my project. Well I don't like to share my knitting except for finished products. I also didn't want to share my yarn due to Holly's history of no patience with working with the knitters, and instead of calmly working she knits for a few minutes and then ties the yarn in knots. Since she had some allowance coming, I payed her and we ran up to Walmart to buy her some yarn that she could use on one of my knitter looms. She was so excited that she choose a yarn that was priced where she could buy her own knitting hook too. We went home and I started her on the loom for a hat for her. She took over once I got her started, and then sat for a number of hours straight knitting away. She has never had that much patience for anything for that long except a movie/TV. She made a whole hat that evening!! I was so proud of her I've been bragging to everyone. She was able to wear it to school the next day, and just as Larry had thought (he's super proud too) many of her peers want her to now make them one. :) I haven't had the chance to take a picture of it, but that is priority tonight and I will post it tomorrow.
OK more another day.

Airing out the House

I am so thankful today is a cool, yet not too cool day. I can finally get the house opened up and aired out. There have been other days good for this, but I could never remember it. Today it was a must. Our dog, Ruby, had a stomach bug or had gotten into something. So yesterday I spent the whole day crawling on my hands and knees cleaning the carpet and washing her bedding and my daughter's comforter. Poor thing couldn't get to me fast enough sometimes to let me know she had to get outside NOW!! She's old so I couldn't just put her outside to fight it, and I couldn't find the gate to put up to block the hall way to the carpeted area of the house. The carpet is good and clean thanks to A LOT of elbow work, but now I need to get the house aired out do to all the cleaner smells and sick smells that seem to linget in the air. (no one else smells anything but cleaners, so it may just be me, but openning the house should do the trick at least for my mind)


And except for one more follow up on me due to my most recent perscription change (due to the removal), the last of the family went for their eye exam. My husband had fabulous insurance benifits at the company he just left, so I schedualed check ups for everyone so we could take advantage of all of it before we lost it and are without for the 2 months. I took them all to the doctor I've been seeing 'cause he's done fabulous things for me, and my husband really liked him when he met him last Feb at my first appointment with him ( and it's really hard to find any kind of doctor he likes).


Once again, he proved why I like him so much. Haylee was first. She has glasses, but we found out not the kind she needs. Dr. Kurtin suprised me when he asked if she struggled reading. I told him yes. Not enough that she fails, but enough to keep her frustrated. And the teachers have always been at a loss. Turns out she has slow focus (where it's hard for her to go from reading to looking far away if she glances up and then to go back to reading). So he put her in progressive lenses and said to see if that helps her. If not he has a specialist he will refer her too. So I am very excited for her. She just got them this weekend, so I am looking forward to calling her tonight to see how the last two days of school have gone.


Larry was next. He can see better than 20/20, but turns out he has an astigmatism no one has caught before. So he got glasses to help him to not have to work so hard on focusing on things like the computer.


And Holly was today. Lucky for her and my bank account, she has good eyesight and doesn't need any glasses.

Well that's all for today off to freshen a few more things up. To all those stopping in to read...God Bless!!

Halloween

So this year Holly decided to go scary for the first time and was a vampiress. The cape turned out not too bad for just cutting it and adding some iron adhesive to keep it from riping. It needed to be a little shorter so she didn't step on it, but she wouldn't let me cut it anymore.

I have to claim some bragging rights on her makeup, but I'll get into that later.

Larry unfortunately is having some rough days with work, trying to get things perfected before he leaves (today is his last day with the company). And his tooth was cause him pain again, so he ended up staying home. This was even more sad since it was such great weather for Halloween. The best we've had in a few years. But I wasn't about to take her door to door on my own. So we ended up meeting my parents, brother, brother's girlfriend, and her little girl at the mall to take them trick-or-treating there. This was disappointing due to so many people and so much of having to watch out on not stepping on other kids. There also was very little candy. The girls mostly received sweet tart, a couple pieces of bubble gum and some tootsie rolls. And by the time we all made it, it was almost time for them to put away. So we hurried back to my parents' neighborhood (the one I grew up trick-or-treating in), and were able to go down the block and let the girls fill their bags with some chocolate for the moms. ;) And of corse my parents had stashed away bags of the "good" candy so they could give them a bunch.

So it was a fairly mild Halloween, which turned out to be fairly good. Holly was just starting to get a cold. And the start is always the worst. So she was dragging pretty good fairly early. She also had had a costume parade that morning at school that I had to miss. (When I scheduled Larry's eye appointment with my eye doctor that day we originally thought he would be off from work, and I didn't know then that there would be a parade. And with the job move there was no way I could reschedule it for before we lost our current health insurance. ) So Holly was being extra clingy and ready to finish before she got much candy. And with the blacked out eyes I did, she looked like she felt really, really awful. I kept asking her if she was ready to go long before she was. I had to wash the makeup off at my parents house before we went home, so I could really see how she felt.

So I brought my camera with me, but I got so busy watching out for the girls, that I forgot to take any pics of them together or while trick-or-treating this year. My brother did get some of them together, so as soon as he sends me those I'll post them. Olivia (his girlfriend's daughter) was Jasmine. I think that is so cool 'cause she is in 1st grade, and when Holly was in first that's what she was for Halloween. I'll have to post some comparison pics too.

Off to see if the grass is finally dry enough to mow. Have a fab Friday!!

Early and Late

Well, Friday felt like an early mini-Thanksgiving for me. Cooking wise anyway. Larry had been having some tooth pain as of late, so on Thurs he went in to the dentist. They ended up doing a partial deep cleaning and pulled two of his three remaining wisdom teeth. He was at the office for 7 hrs, and in the chair for 5 hrs!! With one of the teeth came some bone!! Just the idea of that makes my mouth cower in fear!! He called me when he got out trying to speak, but his meds had him soooo out of it. I told him I could come get him, but even on so much pain killers he was thinking of my safety and said that I would have to drive through a not so safe area to get there so he would meet me at his work and I could pick him up there (thankfully it was very close to his job). I hurried out to the van to take off to face the horrible trek throw Dallas' rush hour traffic. But Larry's fabulous property manager called to tell me not to come. She lives fairly close and she would drive him this way and we could just meet at the Costco about 5 miles from the house. I couldn't thank her enough, this gave me the chance to run to Target and pick up his prescriptions and some food I thought he could eat (or should I say just swallow). So that night he wasn't able to fall asleep till about 8am Friday morning. I called his work to let them know he'd would go ahead and stay home. When he did wake up, poor thing had chills and body aches along with all the pain in his mouth. So after the call I ran to the store to get some things to cook for him. I ended up getting a rotisserie chicken from the deli, and cooked stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin bread (I'd been craving that for the past couple of weeks).
And now for the late part...I tried to be good and get a jump on Holly's Vampire costume this year. She decided her sister's witch dress from last year would work and all she needed was a cape. So a few weeks ago we went up to Joann's and I let her pick out some fabric for it (a bright red satin like fabric with skull and bones covering it). So that was the good jump right on it and get it done part of me. The not so fabulous procrastinator took over after that, and now I'm just now sitting down to sew it. Biggest problem is the fabric is so slippery, I can't get it to stay still while I try to iron it to sew the hem much less anything else. So I think I will give up trying to sew it neatly and will just cut it into the shape we need. Hopefully it will still look ok. I don't think it will unravel, the fabric seems to be a fairly good one for resisting that.

Times have changed...

Technology is spreading more and more. Especially into the classrooms. This can be a very good thing. I love that my children are getting more and more education on computers. But what is really amazing me, is the lines of communication that are now in the classroom. Every teacher now has her own computer in the room and a phone. On the computer the teacher can send and receive e-mails in addition to the normal booking they need to perform. This can be a great advantage to parents like me who may need to inform the teacher of something private about her child that they don't necessarily want the child knowing is being discussed. I recently had a concern about Holly and things that were happening while at her mom's house. I e-mailed her teacher about this and asked her to please listen if she mentions anything out of the ordinary. The phone is also handy for reaching the teacher immediately in an emergency. I remember when I was in school how if the office needed to get a hold of the teacher they did it over the intercom system.
There is one problem with phones in the classroom though. The students take a little too much advantage of it. My daughters call me frequently from school. Most of the time it is very handy when it concerns an emergency or a change in afternoon schedules which will change the time I need to pick them up from school. But I'm not thrilled when I receive a call to ask me to bring something to them they may have forgotten at home (something that isn't that important) or just to inform me of something minor that really could have waited till they got home. I've told them to make a note if they fear they will forget, but that phone is just becoming too handy. I don't see how this doesn't interrupt there regular class activities. I guess I'll just work a little harder at helping them learn the right situations and needs on when to call me. So to anyone stopping in to read...God Bless!!

My Funny Quirks

Today as I was in search of my hair brush, the location of it made me think of my somewhat funny quirks.

I found my brush in my magazine/activity bag. When I was a child, my family did their best to go on a road trip vacation every summer. I am very thankful for this for I have seen many fabulous places in this wonderful country of ours. But with these trips were many long hours spent riding in the car. My mom put together a summer travel bag
for my brother and I every year to keep us entertained on the ride, and to help minimize the number of quarrels in the back seat.

I continue to spend many hours in the car. My husband's family lives in East Texas. We travel to visit them frequently, so I bring my bag filled with magazines, a book, and my knitting to keep me busy during the drive. I also travel to Waco every other weekend to drop off my girls with their mom to visit her in Austin. We frequently spend up to an hour waiting for her in the parking lot of Fazolli's. This wonderful bag helps to keep me from getting overly aggravated while waiting. Due to these drives and the advancement of technology, I have added books on CD to my bag. I have been able to listen to many, many books on these drives. The reader is like someone sitting in the passenger seat talking to me and keeping me awake on these tedious drives to and from Waco. I have also added my digital camera to the bag to catch any moments I might not want to miss out on remembering.

OK, so you are asking what is the quirk in that other than my rambling? Well I have realized due to this routine, I have now become obsessed with bags to carry my activities. I am constantly finding a new, cute bag to carry my things in. I have also acquired quite a collection of magazines and books. And I seem to be a frequent visitor to the books on CD shelves at the library.

Well maybe these really aren't quirks, but just something funny I choose to think/write about today.

What is sad is the change in technology these days for my children. We are planning to go on a family trip with my parents and brother in just over a week. My mom being the wonderful woman she is, offered to make bags for the girls. Unfortunately, since I didn't come into their lives early enough to deter them from an addiction of technology, and give them a love for simple things, the girls have made their own bags filled with the latest technology for children. I don't complain cause they really aren't terrible things. Mostly CD players, a few diggy pets, and a kids Ivideo player they got from their mom for Christmas. And these items will help to ward off backseat quarrels too, I just hope they don't get too caught up in playing with these items that they run down their batteries and expect me to replace them every couple of days. I don't plan to spend my money on batteries instead of film for my camera. I know you are thinking why not buy them rechargeable ones. Unfortunately my children are not know for remembering where they place items, so rechargeables get lost, and they are a lot more money to replace.

OK so I've rambled on so much now and have to keep getting up to attend to other important activities in the house, that I have forgotten where all I was going with this particular entry, so I will go for now.

So to anyone stopping in to read...God Bless!!!

Little Sleep, But Surprisingly Up-Beat

So it's been a bit busy around here. My younger child ended up getting the virus too. It developed the weekend after Haylee got it. Thankfully hers went just as fast causing her to miss only one day of school. Since then my husband and I have continued to have restless nights. We haven't had a good night's sleep in over 2 weeks now, due to one thing or another. We do think a good amount of the problem is the bed. We are in desperate need of a new one. My husband is trying to find a chiropractor he likes, and while doing this hopes that maybe s/he will suggest we need a new bed and make insurance pay for it. Neither one of us truly believes this will happen, but it is a wonderful idea. Like the title says, I've had little sleep, but I am surprisingly in an up-beat mood!

This week, I am not able to be very productive during the day. The water heater in our apartment is scheduled to be replaced. I'm not sure what day they will come, so I work to be prepared everyday. This doesn't allow me to wash dishes or clothes till after about 4pm. So I am enjoying my time reading, watching DVDs, and trying to finish my current knitting project. I am enjoying the chance to be lazy. I would love to also try and catch up on a little rest, but I'm not tired until time to head to pick the kids up from school. I think the sitting in the car for 30mins with the sun shinning in and reading is what does me in. I may need to start cracking a window and letting some of the cold air in.

Seems like I had something really profound to say today, but now that I'm typing I can't think of it. Oh well hope my post doesn't bore my readers to much then. That is if I even have any stopping in anymore.

So to anyone stopping in to read, God Bless!

Surprise!

Well surprise for me...it's a snow day for the kids. Well it is Texas, so ice day is what it really is. Last night I checked weather bug to see that there was a very light chance of precipitation over the night, but nothing big expected until Thursday or Friday. I realized I didn't have the van in it's covered parking spot, so with the light chance I did run down and move it just to make sure I didn't have anything to worry about scrapping off the windshield in the morning when I went to take my healthy child to school. Boy was I surprised when I went out to walk my puppy. Poor thing gave me a look that said "Are you really going to make me pee in that?" So he ran did his business and ran back up. I was right with him so I could check the school closings. And yes school is closed today. I was just upset cause I had gotten everyone up to start getting ready for the day and we could have slept for a few more hours. And after the night we had with my older one, I really could have used a couple more hours. Now I have to keep them entertained and separated so my younger one doesn't get sick.

Speaking of my older one. I believe I guessed wrong. I think she just has a virus. I'm keeping my fingers crossed she had the worst of it last night. Her fever got a little higher and she had some nightmares and trouble sleeping. My mind was going 90 to nothin' last night. It took me over an hour every time I woke up to get it calmed down where I could fall asleep again. And right when I finally made it is when she would come running in upset. After we discovered school was closed and I sent my younger one, Holly, back to bed, I crawled back in myself to try and catch a little more sleep. Once again it took an hour to relax, and right when I was dropping off Haylee came in upset because she couldn't get to sleep. I told her she must just be sleeped out and to stay awake and find something to do. So by now I realize it's not worth it anymore.
Anyway, I think she should be fine if I can keep her perked up. She seems to just want to sit and dwell on it, and I really believe that you can get over being sick a lot faster if you think positive.

Enough of that. We will enjoy our day inside. I'm just a little worried about what we will eat tonight since I haven't gotten to go grocery shopping, and I sent my hubby to work in the van so he could be better protected. Hopefully I can talk him in to stopping to pick something up on his way home since he is leaving work extra early to avoid the roads icing over again when it starts getting dark.

So to anyone stopping in to read, God Bless and stay warm!

Mystery

My 10 yr old is home from school today with a fever. What she has is a total mystery though. It started yesterday morning with a sore throat, but every time I check it, it's not red or swollen. She's been complaining of some aches, but the way she describes them, they're just normal growing pains. She complains of her stomach being upset, but I think that is due to the fever since it didn't start till she developed the fever last night and because she still eats pretty much anything she wants and eats her normal amount. So I'm completely puzzled. Since it's a fairly mild fever, and since she doesn't seem that miserable, I'm holding off taking her to the doctor. I will take her in tomorrow if it continues.

What also helps with all of this is finally being in a place where my girls don't share bedrooms. I don't have to move one to the living room too keep her from catching what the other one has. Problem is my younger one has to be the center of attention no matter what, so she often pretends to be sick when her sister is. It can be hard to handle that one. I want to comfort my girls when they are sick, but I don't want it to be so nice that they fake it. They know they have more fun when they are well, but that period of time when mom babies you a little extra is nice too. Any advice?

Now our weekend. Even with the winter weather, my family was blessed to be able to get out and do somethings. For some reason the area where we live ended up not developing much ice on the roads even though it did rain a ton! So we were able to run around to the stores and mall close to home. What was most fun was our cooking experiments. We went into Walmart to get some groceries and decide what to eat for dinner Saturday night. My husband wanted to get creative and make hot wings. So we went to look for a new fryer since our other one had to be thrown out a few months ago. We had no luck in finding one we wanted. But I did discover a food processor for a fabulous deal. I have never gotten to buy one. I'm often too picky with my appliances. So I snatched the last one. My husband decided we should make steaks and home-made salsa with our new find. So our evening was filled with playing with our new toy and experimenting with amounts of ingredients. And I am pleased to say my husband now makes a fabulous salsa.
So to anyone stopping in to read, God Bless!