On the heels of my Honor Student "case", I'm faced with another one. Here are the facts as I know them...
At 8pm Tuesday evening, M was sent to bed - given hugs and kisses and told she could read until I came up to call "lights out". D arrived home from a meeting at 8:15pm and proceeded to go upstairs to say "Hello" and "Goodnite" to our little princess. He returned downstairs and we proceeded to finish watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on DVR (an aside...we have NEVER watched this show before, but since M has become enthralled with it and all things "TLC", we felt compelled to watch this season premier and make sure it was still appropriate for her, what with all the tabloid rumors and allegations of cheating and such).
At approximately 10:00pm, M came downstairs and told us that she wasn't feeling well, that she felt like she was going to throw up, and had even "tried", but couldn't throw up (I didn't ask how she "tried"...some things are best left alone). We asked her a few questions, then suggested that perhaps she move from the top bunk (where she has been sleeping recently) to at least the bottom bunk. I took it one step further and made her a "floor bed" with a strategically placed bucket just in case.
When I put her to bed, I palpated her abdomen (no folks, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV and I have NOT recently stayed in a Holiday Inn Express...BUT...I have been to enough doctor visits as a Mom to know that abdomen palpation is what is done to rule out some major stuff). She did not appear to wince or show any signs of extreme pain when I was pushing on her abdomen, although it did feel a bit firm, nothing out of the ordinary for typical gas pain and/or constipation. I told her that our first line of "attack" would be to have her lay on her side and pull her legs firmly up into her chest to "open things up" a bit. When I left, she was doing just that.
About 30 minutes later (after CSI Miami ended...on DVR, we don't watch much live anymore) I headed up to bed on the off chance that it was going to turn into a long night for us. I checked in on M and she was sound asleep - I opted against climbing over her to turn off her Radio Disney live stream on her computer, and left the fish tank light on so she had some light in there. I debated leaving her bedroom door open so she had a fast line to the bathroom, but figured we were covered with the bucket.
Shortly after climbing into bed myself, I heard her cough a little, but no follow up sounds to indicate anything other than her coughing. She has allergies and coughs frequently, especially when laying on her back, so I expect the occasional cough from her and thought nothing of this cough. Other than this *cough* *cough* *cough*, I heard nothing else and she never came into the room to tell me she'd thrown up. I debated going in for a quick investigation, but weighed the risks of waking her up against easing my mind and decided that all evidence pointed to me not going in there. Besides, my super sonic Mommy hearing was turned on by now, so no sound would escape me.
D came up to bed about an hour after I did and apparently (according to his report later today) did NOT check in on her on his way by, figuring that I had just checked on her, so why risk waking her.
Early this morning, D left for a meeting, leaving M and I in our respective beds.
I stumbled out of bed a little late and went to wake M up to get ready for school. I opened her bedroom door and looked in at her, then peeked at the bucket. Lo and behold, there was vomit in the bucket. M woke up, looked up at me and said Hi. I said, "Honey, did you throw up last night?" OK - stupid question, I know, OBVIOUSLY she did, but sometimes my brain doesn't work real well first thing in the morning. Well, her answer was, "No", then she sat up, looked in the bucket and said, "OH, maybe I did".
NOW, I'm far from an expert in the area of vomit, being blessed with a minimal occurrence of puking myself (think the last time I did was like 14 years ago when I had food poisoning). BUT, don't you usually notice? It's kind of a body shaking event.
She stayed home today since we couldn't identify the time of day of the vomit, it made it hard to invoke the 24 hour body fluid rule, so we kept her home from school. Well, that and the fact that she still felt pretty crappy, it was hard to rule it out as an isolated incident.
She eventually came around to say that she had coughed/puked at some point, then checked for a mess, didn't find one and decided she was sleepy enough to not get out of bed and come find me. Now, the question becomes, did she really, or was that her "story" since I expressed such disbelief at the phantom puke?
We have ruled out D or I puking in the bucket, and are pretty sure that neither of the dogs has that good of aim (or opposable thumbs to open the door, then reshut it behind them). M can't remember puking, so I'm wondering if we have a ghost with an upset tummy living in our house. OR, perhaps an intruder who gratefully saw the bucket, used it, then got the heck out of dodge before getting caught. I doubt that the Tooth Fairy had done a fly by and lost her lunch in my daughter's room, so I still don't know who puked in the bucket.
Perhaps our Honor Student Vandal is also a drive by puker?
Wonder what mystery tomorrow will hold for me... I think my new career should be as a Private Investigator...then again, my closed cases are minimal at present...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
When Smart Kids Go Bad
SO - yesterday I used the restroom at the Beaverton Town Center Fred Meyer (why the location matters, I have no idea). The store is undergoing a remodel, so "excuse our dust" is a little of an understatement...more like "excuse our post-apocolyptic mess". ANYWAY, I go into the stall, hang up my purse and prepare to sit down when I notice...
Just in case that's not really clear to the eye...
Yes, that's a Calculus equation/formula written on the TP holder. I've seen many different forms of graffiti, but have to say, this is a first!
Just in case that's not really clear to the eye...
Yes, that's a Calculus equation/formula written on the TP holder. I've seen many different forms of graffiti, but have to say, this is a first!
Of course, I have to ask myself, who would do this? I work with the delinquent sort of students, so have a little insight into their minds. BUT, my typical student wouldn't know a limit if it smacked him upside the head. Must be looking at a different sort of vandalizer...one who uses pencil...
Perhaps an Honor Student is being "hazed" into the local chess club?
Maybe this is a geek who had enough of being called "teacher's pet" and decided to "show them" by doing something bad like graffiti...
Local school scavenger hunt with a truth or dare twist?
Could be that with budget cuts, the Beaverton School District is housing classes in the local Fred Meyer break room and this student decided to cheat by writing a formula in the bathroom, then excusing herself (assuming our perp is a female as it is the women's restroom, but perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to assume such thing...I mean, we all know what "assume" means...) to the restroom to view the formula.
Or - with all the construction going on, maybe a construction worker was trying to figure out a complex construction problem while sitting on the potty. Although I'm the first to admit my Calculus experience is limited (ha! a bit punny!), I can't imagine a use for limits in Fred Meyer remodeling, but I could be wrong.
SO - this will remain a mystery...shall I contact the Beaverton PD with my theories? I couldn't imagine trying to collect DNA from that location though...(all together now...EWWW!).
Friday, May 22, 2009
Reflections
The past several years, pretty much since I left the classroom when M was born, I have been doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a little bit of something else to "Frankenstein" myself a job. I have tutored, I have subbed, I have built and ran the Incarcerated Youth program at our local jail, and I have done what my boss has asked me to do, when he has asked me to do it.
This year, everything changed...my boss was new at the beginning of last year so spent it learning the ropes of the job, then last Spring decided that he wanted to utilize my skills in a different manner this year. SO - I started back up in the IEP business! I have been case managing several students who are considered "outside placements" because they attend schools outside the physical boundaries of our district, but are still students of our district. I work students in 2 charter schools, 1 private school, and 1 public school within our county. The level of service needed at each of these sites varies greatly. I attend annual meetings only at one site, I actually go in and provide daily service at another, and a little of everything in between.
Making the change over to this level has been very difficult for many reasons. I have had almost full control of my schedule for years, able to take time to drive kids to swimming or take a day off here and there to hang out with the kiddo. This year, not so much. Because I provide DAILY services, I have to be at these sites DAILY. I know that this is something that almost all of the work force does on a regular basis, but it's just hard to get back into that mode after almost 9 years of full flexibility. BUT, I did OK.
In addition, many of the students with whom I work are placed, by parents, in these outside placements because the parents are unhappy with the school district. In I walk, a smiling face representing said hated school district. I have had some success stories, and some not so successful stories this year. There are just some people in this world who are not going to be happy no matter what - and I get to teach all of their children!
All in all, this has been a VERY TOUGH year for me, but I have really enjoyed being back in the loop in so many ways. I have had colleagues whom I see daily. I have been to trainings on stuff I love to do. I have made acquaintances and connections that I will carry with me beyond this year. AND, of course, I have gotten to keep working with kids whom I adore.
Well, this week I was informed that not only was my 1 year contract running out next month (I knew this), but that my position as it currently stands is most likely being eliminated thanks to budget cuts. I wasn't that shocked, but I was hoping for an assurance of "we'll find a way to use you next year", which I didn't get. No hard feelings, I know that my boss' hands are tied by the superintendant, who's hands are tied by the budget. AND, I totally understand their position...it doesn't make sense to continue contracting out with me at my Masters +45 credits w/10 years experience on the pay scale when they can get someone falling a little lower on the payscale.
Did I get hit hard by this, though? Hell yeah! I'm not going to lie, there were tears...a lot of them, I'm somewhat ashamed to say. Perhaps this had something to do with me having just gotten out of a meeting the night before that didn't go great and I was still feeling defeated by that (see above about parents who aren't happy no matter what), or perhaps it would have hit me hard no matter what, but it did.
Then I started thinking...this could be a good thing for me. My options are wide open for next school year. AND, I'm proud to say that in the past 2 days I've already gotten several leads on opportunities for next year. I've made some real great connections with the schools where I've worked this year and I think that all will be OK in the long run.
Now, I just need to convince D of this...he sees it from the family budget point of view - don't blame him, numbers and dollar signs are kind of his job. BUT, I'll keep trying to tell him that it will all work out in the long run. I have a plan and a back-up plan to fill in the $$$ gaps when I don't hit my monthly requirement to keep the family running smoothly.
I'm definately trying to make lemonade out of these lemons, and looking at it with a positive attitude. The way I figure, feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help, nor is worrying myself sick over it. All that will do is put added stress on my family, which I would never want to do.
SO - I'm in the process of winding down this school year, getting ready to turn in all of my district supplies (laptop, portable printer, test kits, files, etc.) and then I get to figure out what to do with my amazingly clean desk! I have a few ideas - I can make it my card making station (did I mention I have gotten into card making recently?) - I can...well, I haven't thought of that many ideas, I guess!
BUT - it's all good...M has been feeling the sting of my working so much in many ways - lack of time with her, bad moods after rough days, etc. Sure, I know that many kids live very successful lives when their parents work full-time - much more than I was working - BUT M has never known anything other than me being there for her whenever she needed me. This has taken it's toll on her as well this year. I haven't told her about any of this yet - we decided to hold off until her school year is up so it doesn't distract her (she inherited a bit of her father's worry gene).
SO - I look to the past year with no regrets, fond memories, and some stinging pain, but I look to the future with an open mind, optimism, hope, and genuine excitement to find all that it has to offer for me. Whatever the end result, I just know it will be good.
This year, everything changed...my boss was new at the beginning of last year so spent it learning the ropes of the job, then last Spring decided that he wanted to utilize my skills in a different manner this year. SO - I started back up in the IEP business! I have been case managing several students who are considered "outside placements" because they attend schools outside the physical boundaries of our district, but are still students of our district. I work students in 2 charter schools, 1 private school, and 1 public school within our county. The level of service needed at each of these sites varies greatly. I attend annual meetings only at one site, I actually go in and provide daily service at another, and a little of everything in between.
Making the change over to this level has been very difficult for many reasons. I have had almost full control of my schedule for years, able to take time to drive kids to swimming or take a day off here and there to hang out with the kiddo. This year, not so much. Because I provide DAILY services, I have to be at these sites DAILY. I know that this is something that almost all of the work force does on a regular basis, but it's just hard to get back into that mode after almost 9 years of full flexibility. BUT, I did OK.
In addition, many of the students with whom I work are placed, by parents, in these outside placements because the parents are unhappy with the school district. In I walk, a smiling face representing said hated school district. I have had some success stories, and some not so successful stories this year. There are just some people in this world who are not going to be happy no matter what - and I get to teach all of their children!
All in all, this has been a VERY TOUGH year for me, but I have really enjoyed being back in the loop in so many ways. I have had colleagues whom I see daily. I have been to trainings on stuff I love to do. I have made acquaintances and connections that I will carry with me beyond this year. AND, of course, I have gotten to keep working with kids whom I adore.
Well, this week I was informed that not only was my 1 year contract running out next month (I knew this), but that my position as it currently stands is most likely being eliminated thanks to budget cuts. I wasn't that shocked, but I was hoping for an assurance of "we'll find a way to use you next year", which I didn't get. No hard feelings, I know that my boss' hands are tied by the superintendant, who's hands are tied by the budget. AND, I totally understand their position...it doesn't make sense to continue contracting out with me at my Masters +45 credits w/10 years experience on the pay scale when they can get someone falling a little lower on the payscale.
Did I get hit hard by this, though? Hell yeah! I'm not going to lie, there were tears...a lot of them, I'm somewhat ashamed to say. Perhaps this had something to do with me having just gotten out of a meeting the night before that didn't go great and I was still feeling defeated by that (see above about parents who aren't happy no matter what), or perhaps it would have hit me hard no matter what, but it did.
Then I started thinking...this could be a good thing for me. My options are wide open for next school year. AND, I'm proud to say that in the past 2 days I've already gotten several leads on opportunities for next year. I've made some real great connections with the schools where I've worked this year and I think that all will be OK in the long run.
Now, I just need to convince D of this...he sees it from the family budget point of view - don't blame him, numbers and dollar signs are kind of his job. BUT, I'll keep trying to tell him that it will all work out in the long run. I have a plan and a back-up plan to fill in the $$$ gaps when I don't hit my monthly requirement to keep the family running smoothly.
I'm definately trying to make lemonade out of these lemons, and looking at it with a positive attitude. The way I figure, feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help, nor is worrying myself sick over it. All that will do is put added stress on my family, which I would never want to do.
SO - I'm in the process of winding down this school year, getting ready to turn in all of my district supplies (laptop, portable printer, test kits, files, etc.) and then I get to figure out what to do with my amazingly clean desk! I have a few ideas - I can make it my card making station (did I mention I have gotten into card making recently?) - I can...well, I haven't thought of that many ideas, I guess!
BUT - it's all good...M has been feeling the sting of my working so much in many ways - lack of time with her, bad moods after rough days, etc. Sure, I know that many kids live very successful lives when their parents work full-time - much more than I was working - BUT M has never known anything other than me being there for her whenever she needed me. This has taken it's toll on her as well this year. I haven't told her about any of this yet - we decided to hold off until her school year is up so it doesn't distract her (she inherited a bit of her father's worry gene).
SO - I look to the past year with no regrets, fond memories, and some stinging pain, but I look to the future with an open mind, optimism, hope, and genuine excitement to find all that it has to offer for me. Whatever the end result, I just know it will be good.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Vampires & Werewolves
Yes, I've been sucked into (no pun intended...OK, maybe a little pun!) the Twilight series of books. OMG! They are so addictive! This all started when I was invited to a Twilight party at a friends house. I decided that I should read the book before I saw the movie. SO, I ran out and bought the first book with a week to go before the party. Little did I know that it had nearly 400 pages! I cranked that puppy out in a week! If it weren't for work and sleep, I would have finished it in less time than that.
New Moon took me another week to read, and I was tempted to take a week off to catch up on my sleep, but just couldn't handle that idea, so I ran out and bought the next 2 books and finished Eclipse this past weekend, and started Breaking Dawn last night. Each of these books is 400ish pages, so I've literally read more in the past month than I have in several years!
I read before sleep each nite (helps with the dreams of hot vampires and werewolves!), I read while sitting on the patio supervising kids at play, I read whenever I can find the time to read. In fact, I was just heading out to do some more reading when I decided to take time to tell all of you (yeah, what are there like 2 people who read this?) that you HAVE TO read these books! Sure, they're designed for teenagers, but they are soooo good! Good, wholesome stories, too (aside from the vampires/werewolves and the associated killing and blood sucking, that is!).
OH, and did I mention there's an online book as well? Twilight written from Edward's point of view? It's a couple hundred pages as well, but I'm halfway through that one - kinda hard to sit and read at the computer, though. BUT, it's convenient when I'm sitting and waiting and forgot my book at home!
Apparently there's also a book written for adults...maybe those characters have sex, not sure what the difference is...will get that one as soon as I finish this fourth one (so next weekend!).
I did let M see the movie as it's fairly benign, except for one scene toward the end (she hid in the bathroom for it), and as soon as she finishes reading Harry Potter, she is going to start the first book. Despite being designed for teens, they are pretty mellow when it comes to sex and such (humans having sex with vampires is apparently dangerous, so doesn't actually happen very often...good to know!). Pretty romantic to just go as far as cuddling and kissing.
SO - in case you didn't notice, I like these books a bit! Speaking of which - gotta go - there's a vampire waiting for me!
New Moon took me another week to read, and I was tempted to take a week off to catch up on my sleep, but just couldn't handle that idea, so I ran out and bought the next 2 books and finished Eclipse this past weekend, and started Breaking Dawn last night. Each of these books is 400ish pages, so I've literally read more in the past month than I have in several years!
I read before sleep each nite (helps with the dreams of hot vampires and werewolves!), I read while sitting on the patio supervising kids at play, I read whenever I can find the time to read. In fact, I was just heading out to do some more reading when I decided to take time to tell all of you (yeah, what are there like 2 people who read this?) that you HAVE TO read these books! Sure, they're designed for teenagers, but they are soooo good! Good, wholesome stories, too (aside from the vampires/werewolves and the associated killing and blood sucking, that is!).
OH, and did I mention there's an online book as well? Twilight written from Edward's point of view? It's a couple hundred pages as well, but I'm halfway through that one - kinda hard to sit and read at the computer, though. BUT, it's convenient when I'm sitting and waiting and forgot my book at home!
Apparently there's also a book written for adults...maybe those characters have sex, not sure what the difference is...will get that one as soon as I finish this fourth one (so next weekend!).
I did let M see the movie as it's fairly benign, except for one scene toward the end (she hid in the bathroom for it), and as soon as she finishes reading Harry Potter, she is going to start the first book. Despite being designed for teens, they are pretty mellow when it comes to sex and such (humans having sex with vampires is apparently dangerous, so doesn't actually happen very often...good to know!). Pretty romantic to just go as far as cuddling and kissing.
SO - in case you didn't notice, I like these books a bit! Speaking of which - gotta go - there's a vampire waiting for me!
Spring has Sprung!
Yes, the sun is out, the blooms are blooming, and the allergies are in high gear. YEAH!
It's been a crazy past few weeks, thus the lack of posts. Work is absolutely crazy - I am trying to juggle all the different tasks that need to happen in a given day/week, and the result is that I'm going a bit crazy in the process. My newest schedule change has me eating lunch in the car while driving between one school and the next. Perhaps if I can't finish my lunch during that drive, I can finish while driving from school #2 and the jail. OR, possibly I can find some time to grab a snack while driving to get M and take her to her afternoon activities. There was one day last week when I literally did not eat since I was on suicide watch (watcher, not watchee) the entire day with a student of mine. I'd grabbed a donut on the way out the door in the morning, then was going to get lunch later...no such luck! I got stuck at the school until parents could pick the student up with nothing but a donut and coffee in my tummy.
Today I was down for the count with a migraine - not fun at all! My head is still hurting quite a bit, but I can have my eyes open and be upright again, so I count that as a good thing. Will have to return to work tomorrow regardless of how I feel since I basically get dinged for missing work as I end up having to make up missed contact hours. Joy of Joys! I'm trying to focus on staying hydrated since one theory is that these migraines come about when I'm not drinking enough water. Will see how that theory pans out - today I did have a coffee (caffeine works for my migraines), but have had nothing but water since.
In other news...we had an absolutely wonderful weekend! On Saturday, M, Mom and I met up with the cousins in Salem for lunch and the Hannah Montana movie. It was amazingly cute and I would totally see it again! D and I were supposed to go out Saturday nite to help a friend celebrate her 40th birthday, but there was an issue with the babysitter, so we stayed home. Probably for the best as we hit the road fairly early Sunday to go up to Hood River for the Blossom Festival. I will post some pix of that another time. It was a beautiful day in the valley - clear views of the entire valley, from Mt. Hood to Mt. Adams and all the way through the gorge. I do love my hometown! We drove by my old house (where I was born), and the hospital (where I was ACTUALLY born) - a real fun walk down memory lane! M enjoyed seeing it all as well. We ended our day with a yummy dinner at a local bar/restaurant ("Brian's Pour House") - I can't wait to go back on a day when they aren't out of the butternut squash ravioli!
The sun has come out (for now) and is having a dual effect on me. #1, I'm spending my afternoons on the porch, supervising the children at play in the neighborhood and reading. #2, I'm supplementing my afternoons on the porch with trips into the house to blow my nose, sneeze, and otherwise be miserable in this lovely allergy season. This happens every year - I can either stay inside and not suffer, or go outside and enjoy the outdoors, and suffer away. Never a fun choice to make.
This week M is taking off for camp with her school out to the coast. We spent tonite getting her stuff together and hopefully will have time tomorrow evening to actually pack it in time for the 8:30 departure Wednesday morning. We will be without a kiddo until Friday afternoon! The past couple years this has coincided with D being out of town at a conference, so I've been living solo for these days. This time he's home with me, but I can live with that :)
And now, I'm going to end this and go grab a snack & curl up in the chair with a good book...
It's been a crazy past few weeks, thus the lack of posts. Work is absolutely crazy - I am trying to juggle all the different tasks that need to happen in a given day/week, and the result is that I'm going a bit crazy in the process. My newest schedule change has me eating lunch in the car while driving between one school and the next. Perhaps if I can't finish my lunch during that drive, I can finish while driving from school #2 and the jail. OR, possibly I can find some time to grab a snack while driving to get M and take her to her afternoon activities. There was one day last week when I literally did not eat since I was on suicide watch (watcher, not watchee) the entire day with a student of mine. I'd grabbed a donut on the way out the door in the morning, then was going to get lunch later...no such luck! I got stuck at the school until parents could pick the student up with nothing but a donut and coffee in my tummy.
Today I was down for the count with a migraine - not fun at all! My head is still hurting quite a bit, but I can have my eyes open and be upright again, so I count that as a good thing. Will have to return to work tomorrow regardless of how I feel since I basically get dinged for missing work as I end up having to make up missed contact hours. Joy of Joys! I'm trying to focus on staying hydrated since one theory is that these migraines come about when I'm not drinking enough water. Will see how that theory pans out - today I did have a coffee (caffeine works for my migraines), but have had nothing but water since.
In other news...we had an absolutely wonderful weekend! On Saturday, M, Mom and I met up with the cousins in Salem for lunch and the Hannah Montana movie. It was amazingly cute and I would totally see it again! D and I were supposed to go out Saturday nite to help a friend celebrate her 40th birthday, but there was an issue with the babysitter, so we stayed home. Probably for the best as we hit the road fairly early Sunday to go up to Hood River for the Blossom Festival. I will post some pix of that another time. It was a beautiful day in the valley - clear views of the entire valley, from Mt. Hood to Mt. Adams and all the way through the gorge. I do love my hometown! We drove by my old house (where I was born), and the hospital (where I was ACTUALLY born) - a real fun walk down memory lane! M enjoyed seeing it all as well. We ended our day with a yummy dinner at a local bar/restaurant ("Brian's Pour House") - I can't wait to go back on a day when they aren't out of the butternut squash ravioli!
The sun has come out (for now) and is having a dual effect on me. #1, I'm spending my afternoons on the porch, supervising the children at play in the neighborhood and reading. #2, I'm supplementing my afternoons on the porch with trips into the house to blow my nose, sneeze, and otherwise be miserable in this lovely allergy season. This happens every year - I can either stay inside and not suffer, or go outside and enjoy the outdoors, and suffer away. Never a fun choice to make.
This week M is taking off for camp with her school out to the coast. We spent tonite getting her stuff together and hopefully will have time tomorrow evening to actually pack it in time for the 8:30 departure Wednesday morning. We will be without a kiddo until Friday afternoon! The past couple years this has coincided with D being out of town at a conference, so I've been living solo for these days. This time he's home with me, but I can live with that :)
And now, I'm going to end this and go grab a snack & curl up in the chair with a good book...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!
Yes, it's true...even the teacher looks forward to Spring Break! AND, here it is!!!!!!! SO - aside from a mountain of paperwork staring at me from my desk, and a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, I don't have to "work" until next Monday...YEAH!!!!!!!!!
In the meantime, I'm a full-time Mom for the week. It used to be that this would entail day trips and hanging out, but M is getting older, so we're all about playdates this Spring Break. In fact, as I type, she's upstairs with a friend playing.
Tomorrow we are heading to Salem for hair appointments and lunch with the cousins, then M is going home with them for a sleepover. Tuesday they will bring her back in time for dinner, then we will possibly keep their daughter over nite if the girls aren't all done being with each other. Wednesday will depend on if P spends Tuesday nite or not - M and I will either take her home to Salem, or we will hang out here in town and find something fun to do here.
Thursday and Friday are currently unbooked (SHOCKING!), but M does want a playdate with another friend, as well as a trip to visit her former daycare for a day, so we'll just have to figure out which falls on what day.
Luckily, at this age, playdates mainly mean listening for loud thumps, screams/crying, providing nutritious snacks on occasion, and being an adult on the premises for legal purposes. COOL! I do have to say, that a couple years ago a sleepover went VERY wrong, so I learned to keep a little closer eye on the girls than I did in the past - or at least not to allow them access to scissors...
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for us of work and meetings and other craziness. My job has kept me on the go as always, so this week was a much needed break for us. Unfortunately D is not in the teaching profession, so he still has to work this week, but he has the option of setting his own schedule to a certain degree, so theoretically could take time off. Although, I can't imagine why he would voluntarily assist with play date supervision! In fact, he volunteered to run errands today to get out of it. I told him we could "rock, paper, scissors" for it, and he said, "let's just assume I won and I'm going on the errands". Hee Hee!
Speaking of loud thumps...gotta go!
In the meantime, I'm a full-time Mom for the week. It used to be that this would entail day trips and hanging out, but M is getting older, so we're all about playdates this Spring Break. In fact, as I type, she's upstairs with a friend playing.
Tomorrow we are heading to Salem for hair appointments and lunch with the cousins, then M is going home with them for a sleepover. Tuesday they will bring her back in time for dinner, then we will possibly keep their daughter over nite if the girls aren't all done being with each other. Wednesday will depend on if P spends Tuesday nite or not - M and I will either take her home to Salem, or we will hang out here in town and find something fun to do here.
Thursday and Friday are currently unbooked (SHOCKING!), but M does want a playdate with another friend, as well as a trip to visit her former daycare for a day, so we'll just have to figure out which falls on what day.
Luckily, at this age, playdates mainly mean listening for loud thumps, screams/crying, providing nutritious snacks on occasion, and being an adult on the premises for legal purposes. COOL! I do have to say, that a couple years ago a sleepover went VERY wrong, so I learned to keep a little closer eye on the girls than I did in the past - or at least not to allow them access to scissors...
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for us of work and meetings and other craziness. My job has kept me on the go as always, so this week was a much needed break for us. Unfortunately D is not in the teaching profession, so he still has to work this week, but he has the option of setting his own schedule to a certain degree, so theoretically could take time off. Although, I can't imagine why he would voluntarily assist with play date supervision! In fact, he volunteered to run errands today to get out of it. I told him we could "rock, paper, scissors" for it, and he said, "let's just assume I won and I'm going on the errands". Hee Hee!
Speaking of loud thumps...gotta go!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A trip to remember
We returned home last evening from out trip to CA for my nephew's birthday. All in all it was a pretty good trip, with a few "moments"...
FRIDAY - the flight down was uneventful, which is amazing for us since when the 4 of us travel together, there's often drama. No major drama on this one. Got in and I went to get the rental car. We'd decided to go with a "full-size" this time rather than a mini-van or SUV so we could cut a few costs on the trip. Well, they were all out of full-size, so we got a free upgrade to a luxury model. woo hoo??? We were cruising in a black Mercury Grand Marquis all weekend. I called it a gangster car, we also called it the squad car as it looked a bit like an unmarked police car. We had some fun with new names for us (I think I was Starsky, D Hutch, M Huggy Bear - had to do with her fuzzy lined jacked, and Mom the captain). The car was very nice, but very big!
SO - we arrive at my sister's house at 8ish where we are greeted by her and her boyfriend and their 4 collective children. What fun! She escorts D and I down to the house where we'll be staying (our "room" at her house is now her (not) soon (enough) to be ex husband's room, so not available for D & I to use). Part of their parenting plan so far is this bird nesting deal where they share custody of the kids and the house, so on the off days, they have to find another place to live. One of their neighbors is a weekender, so she uses their house when she is unable to be in her own house, which was where we stayed. Confusing, I know, but that's the way this whole divorce is going...
Had some dinner, hung out, said goodnite to BF and his kids, then all of us hung out a little more, then went to our respective beds. AND, that's when the fun began...
D was icing his knee when I went upstairs to bed, but apparently started having intense pain that ended up keeping him (and me) up all night - not in his knee, but related to a kidney stone being passed (we were pretty sure that was it - unfortunately, we have 14 years and endless stones worth of experience in the realm of kidney stones). Well, this pain was way worse than ever before and therefore, very concerning to both of us. Apparently he did ask me to take him to the ER at about 4am, to which I responded by snoring, but I obviously don't remember that. ANYWAY - it was obviously a rough nite for us.
SATURDAY - party day! D was still in a lot of pain as well as tired and cranky from a sleepless nite. I wasn't in pain, but definately tired and cranky from the evening. BUT, we headed over to the house to head off for the party. WOW! This place we went was way cool! It had a jungle theme with a huge play structure, bumper cars, games, and laser tag (we didn't do laser tag). It was arranged really well with the seating area in the middle so parents could keep an eye on things as the kids ran amok...woo hoo! D chose to chase kids along with sister's BF, while us girls hung out and chatted. All in all a great party - all kids had a blast and we were there for probably 4 hours. During that time D was still in a lot of pain and decided that after the party he did in fact want to go to the ER to make sure that this was a kidney stone and not something else. I tried to get our doctors up here to call in an Rx down there for him for some pain meds to help out, but they can't do that over state lines. DAMN! SO - after the party, my sister dropped D off at the ER and met us at home (Mom and I brought 3 girls, D went with sister and BF and 2 boys). I headed over to the ER in time to go in and see the doctor. He was very nice, they ran a quick test that determined that 99% sure it was a kidney stone, but gave us the option of more tests and such to gain that extra 1%. We opted to go home with drugs and follow up here in town (did I mention we had dinner reservations?)
OH - didn't mention the whole ER experience...what a great place to watch people! There was a guy with an IV hanging out who kept tripping over garbage cans, a newborn baby with his parents, a family with 2 young boys who were VERY interested in D's backpack full of video games and candy, and then, there was feral child. Before I got there, feral child was drumming intensely as if performing with an 80's rock band apparently. So sorry I missed that one! To give you an idea - s/he looked like the "bee child" from the honey commercials - wild, crazy hair, apparently no joints in body based on how it flopped around, and otherwise crazy looking. By the time I got there, feral child had apparently worn itself out by all the vigorous drumming and was now collapsed in the chair "sleeping". Occasionally s/he would readjust itself and flop to another position, but with eyes still closed, so freaky as hell to watch. My quick diagnosis would be mental illness like maybe schizophrenia, or possibly autism. It's "handler" made a call at one point and said that it had calmed down quite a bit since they got there, so I'm thinking group home or something. ANYWAY, feral child kept us entertained during the ER waiting room experience.
SO - the adventure to find an open pharmacy began as we headed toward the steak house where we were meeting everyone else (no kids - got a sitter for them!). NONE WERE OPEN! It was so frustrating! There were rumors of a 24 hour Walgreens in a town about 20 minutes south of where we were. We planned to head down after dinner.
Dinner was very nice - a wonderful steakhouse - great time was had by all. D had mellowed out a lot knowing that he didn't have some strange disease, and a couple Guinesses later, was almost back to his normal self.
After dinner we resumed pharmacy search. My sister gave us directions, but the exit she named didn't exist by that name. Thank goodness for my sense of direction and vague knowledge of the area, coupled with D's phone's GPS system. We eventually found the Walgreens and began the hour long wait for the meds. OH JOY! I couldn't believe how long it took. There were tons of people there wandering aimlessly waiting their meds as well - guess when you're the only pharmacy open after 6pm on a Saturday nite, all kinds of fun happens. Finally got the drugs and headed back about 10pm, just in time to say goodnite and head back to our house for the night.
D took 2 Percocet and 1 Flomax (relaxes things to help with flow) and was a happy camper for the rest of the nite!
SUNDAY - picture day - D took 2 more Percocet and passed the stone in the morning! YEAH! It was a good sized one, too. He was a bit zoned out from the drugs, but felt very little pain, so was much more fun to be around!
Headed to mall with 5 kids to get family pictures taken. That went fairly well, even though one boy was a giggle puss, the other wouldn't smile to save his life, M was trying to tell the photographer what to do, how to pose them, etc. AND, sister and I were ready to strangle each and every one of them! Thank goodness the guys brought us Starbuck's, then took the kids to the play area while we chose pictures. They came out really cute, actually, and we even got Mom to sit in on one of them and it came out great! May scan/post one when we get them in - they had to be ordered, so will have them in a few weeks.
Had lunch, let the kids run amok in the play structure, threw coins in the mall fountain, ran amok some more, did a little shopping (while kids ran amok), then headed home. Sister made yummy ribs for dinner, we hung out and chatted while kids played and napped. Pretty low key day.
MONDAY - sister and kids had to leave at 7am to get them to school on time, so we got together to say goodbye, then watched them drive off. M laid on the couch watching TV while Mom, D and I got packed up, cleaned house since ex was taking possession that day, and got ready to go. Headed out about 9:30 to visit my great Aunt who lives (conveniently) very close to the airport.
Spent a couple hours there - another cousin and one of her daughters and granddaughter came to see us as well, so had a great visit. We don't get to see my aunt and uncle often enough, but try and see them as often as we can when we're in the area. This aunt is my grandfather's baby sister, so she's only a few years older than Mom and her sisters, so while "technically" they are aunt/niece, they grew up more like siblings. She's way cool, too - very crafty, very modern for a 70ish year old woman, very easy to talk to. Sure wish I could see her more often.
Left there about 1:30 to head up to the airport. At some point Mom's panties got in a bunch about something (still haven't figured it out) and that set the tone for the rest of the trip. Returned the ganster mobile, and took a shuttle to the terminal. Had a little time to hang out before our flight, then it was off. They said that we were expecting a real bumpy take off b/c of the wind and such, but it wasn't bad at all. I slept the whole flight, which made it go much quicker (and much less drama!).
After we got to Portland, M and I stopped to buy a bottle of wine to send to the owner's of the house we stayed at while D and Mom went for the luggage. A quick dinner at Red Robin, then the drive home.
Have to say, I miss my sister a lot when we're not together, but boy oh boy do I like coming home!
FRIDAY - the flight down was uneventful, which is amazing for us since when the 4 of us travel together, there's often drama. No major drama on this one. Got in and I went to get the rental car. We'd decided to go with a "full-size" this time rather than a mini-van or SUV so we could cut a few costs on the trip. Well, they were all out of full-size, so we got a free upgrade to a luxury model. woo hoo??? We were cruising in a black Mercury Grand Marquis all weekend. I called it a gangster car, we also called it the squad car as it looked a bit like an unmarked police car. We had some fun with new names for us (I think I was Starsky, D Hutch, M Huggy Bear - had to do with her fuzzy lined jacked, and Mom the captain). The car was very nice, but very big!
SO - we arrive at my sister's house at 8ish where we are greeted by her and her boyfriend and their 4 collective children. What fun! She escorts D and I down to the house where we'll be staying (our "room" at her house is now her (not) soon (enough) to be ex husband's room, so not available for D & I to use). Part of their parenting plan so far is this bird nesting deal where they share custody of the kids and the house, so on the off days, they have to find another place to live. One of their neighbors is a weekender, so she uses their house when she is unable to be in her own house, which was where we stayed. Confusing, I know, but that's the way this whole divorce is going...
Had some dinner, hung out, said goodnite to BF and his kids, then all of us hung out a little more, then went to our respective beds. AND, that's when the fun began...
D was icing his knee when I went upstairs to bed, but apparently started having intense pain that ended up keeping him (and me) up all night - not in his knee, but related to a kidney stone being passed (we were pretty sure that was it - unfortunately, we have 14 years and endless stones worth of experience in the realm of kidney stones). Well, this pain was way worse than ever before and therefore, very concerning to both of us. Apparently he did ask me to take him to the ER at about 4am, to which I responded by snoring, but I obviously don't remember that. ANYWAY - it was obviously a rough nite for us.
SATURDAY - party day! D was still in a lot of pain as well as tired and cranky from a sleepless nite. I wasn't in pain, but definately tired and cranky from the evening. BUT, we headed over to the house to head off for the party. WOW! This place we went was way cool! It had a jungle theme with a huge play structure, bumper cars, games, and laser tag (we didn't do laser tag). It was arranged really well with the seating area in the middle so parents could keep an eye on things as the kids ran amok...woo hoo! D chose to chase kids along with sister's BF, while us girls hung out and chatted. All in all a great party - all kids had a blast and we were there for probably 4 hours. During that time D was still in a lot of pain and decided that after the party he did in fact want to go to the ER to make sure that this was a kidney stone and not something else. I tried to get our doctors up here to call in an Rx down there for him for some pain meds to help out, but they can't do that over state lines. DAMN! SO - after the party, my sister dropped D off at the ER and met us at home (Mom and I brought 3 girls, D went with sister and BF and 2 boys). I headed over to the ER in time to go in and see the doctor. He was very nice, they ran a quick test that determined that 99% sure it was a kidney stone, but gave us the option of more tests and such to gain that extra 1%. We opted to go home with drugs and follow up here in town (did I mention we had dinner reservations?)
OH - didn't mention the whole ER experience...what a great place to watch people! There was a guy with an IV hanging out who kept tripping over garbage cans, a newborn baby with his parents, a family with 2 young boys who were VERY interested in D's backpack full of video games and candy, and then, there was feral child. Before I got there, feral child was drumming intensely as if performing with an 80's rock band apparently. So sorry I missed that one! To give you an idea - s/he looked like the "bee child" from the honey commercials - wild, crazy hair, apparently no joints in body based on how it flopped around, and otherwise crazy looking. By the time I got there, feral child had apparently worn itself out by all the vigorous drumming and was now collapsed in the chair "sleeping". Occasionally s/he would readjust itself and flop to another position, but with eyes still closed, so freaky as hell to watch. My quick diagnosis would be mental illness like maybe schizophrenia, or possibly autism. It's "handler" made a call at one point and said that it had calmed down quite a bit since they got there, so I'm thinking group home or something. ANYWAY, feral child kept us entertained during the ER waiting room experience.
SO - the adventure to find an open pharmacy began as we headed toward the steak house where we were meeting everyone else (no kids - got a sitter for them!). NONE WERE OPEN! It was so frustrating! There were rumors of a 24 hour Walgreens in a town about 20 minutes south of where we were. We planned to head down after dinner.
Dinner was very nice - a wonderful steakhouse - great time was had by all. D had mellowed out a lot knowing that he didn't have some strange disease, and a couple Guinesses later, was almost back to his normal self.
After dinner we resumed pharmacy search. My sister gave us directions, but the exit she named didn't exist by that name. Thank goodness for my sense of direction and vague knowledge of the area, coupled with D's phone's GPS system. We eventually found the Walgreens and began the hour long wait for the meds. OH JOY! I couldn't believe how long it took. There were tons of people there wandering aimlessly waiting their meds as well - guess when you're the only pharmacy open after 6pm on a Saturday nite, all kinds of fun happens. Finally got the drugs and headed back about 10pm, just in time to say goodnite and head back to our house for the night.
D took 2 Percocet and 1 Flomax (relaxes things to help with flow) and was a happy camper for the rest of the nite!
SUNDAY - picture day - D took 2 more Percocet and passed the stone in the morning! YEAH! It was a good sized one, too. He was a bit zoned out from the drugs, but felt very little pain, so was much more fun to be around!
Headed to mall with 5 kids to get family pictures taken. That went fairly well, even though one boy was a giggle puss, the other wouldn't smile to save his life, M was trying to tell the photographer what to do, how to pose them, etc. AND, sister and I were ready to strangle each and every one of them! Thank goodness the guys brought us Starbuck's, then took the kids to the play area while we chose pictures. They came out really cute, actually, and we even got Mom to sit in on one of them and it came out great! May scan/post one when we get them in - they had to be ordered, so will have them in a few weeks.
Had lunch, let the kids run amok in the play structure, threw coins in the mall fountain, ran amok some more, did a little shopping (while kids ran amok), then headed home. Sister made yummy ribs for dinner, we hung out and chatted while kids played and napped. Pretty low key day.
MONDAY - sister and kids had to leave at 7am to get them to school on time, so we got together to say goodbye, then watched them drive off. M laid on the couch watching TV while Mom, D and I got packed up, cleaned house since ex was taking possession that day, and got ready to go. Headed out about 9:30 to visit my great Aunt who lives (conveniently) very close to the airport.
Spent a couple hours there - another cousin and one of her daughters and granddaughter came to see us as well, so had a great visit. We don't get to see my aunt and uncle often enough, but try and see them as often as we can when we're in the area. This aunt is my grandfather's baby sister, so she's only a few years older than Mom and her sisters, so while "technically" they are aunt/niece, they grew up more like siblings. She's way cool, too - very crafty, very modern for a 70ish year old woman, very easy to talk to. Sure wish I could see her more often.
Left there about 1:30 to head up to the airport. At some point Mom's panties got in a bunch about something (still haven't figured it out) and that set the tone for the rest of the trip. Returned the ganster mobile, and took a shuttle to the terminal. Had a little time to hang out before our flight, then it was off. They said that we were expecting a real bumpy take off b/c of the wind and such, but it wasn't bad at all. I slept the whole flight, which made it go much quicker (and much less drama!).
After we got to Portland, M and I stopped to buy a bottle of wine to send to the owner's of the house we stayed at while D and Mom went for the luggage. A quick dinner at Red Robin, then the drive home.
Have to say, I miss my sister a lot when we're not together, but boy oh boy do I like coming home!
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