I know, it's been over a year. I've been busy. My year in a nutshell....ready...set...GO!
Ice Storm Christmas '09
Lost my job. Happy New Year 2010!
1/10 Hubby joined National Guard
3/10 Hubby goes to NG training...out of state
4/10 Same.
5/10 Same.
6/10 Slowly falling financially behind due to NG pay "errors" and loss of my income.
7/10 Same.
8/10 Choose to Home school children for 1st time EVER because of hubby's crazy schedule.
8/10 Meet hubby's 19 year old daughter for 1st time. GREAT experience. Love her.
9/10 Join Home school co-op and teach art. LOVE it.
10/10 Begin to realize we can't afford our mortgage with me not working and pay "errors"
11/10 Try to sell house, move from 2300 sqft. to 900 sqft. 1 bth, 2 bd. 5 people. HATE IT.
11/10 Enroll oldest 2 in new school. 1 HATES IT. Prefers to be home schooled.
12/10 Miserable. Financially panicking. Emotionally panicking. (sigh)
2011 Happy New Year. It can only get better...right?
1/11 Waiting on 2nd attempt at loan modification to be approved this time...Please, God...Help.
Only You can keep us sane in this tiny house. Please help us get back into our home!
1/11 Found out good friend from college has cancer. She's only a few years older than me and she has young kids. This isn't fair. At. All.
So, now you know. Roller Coaster year. Fun times.
I know God provides. I know He alone is my strength. My Peace lies in my relationship with Him. Not my house. Not where my kids go to school. Not even my husband's presence. That last one is hard for me to write.
Five more days of January. February is going to be SOOO much better than January, right??? Ha!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, August 27, 2009
"Where, Oh Where Has My Little Time Gone?"
Oh where oh where could it be? With my nights cut short and my days cut long.... ha! Thought that was funny. But, then again, I crack myself up when others just sit and stare... Anyway, I digress.
My official first day of school went rather well, considering I made the girls "tuck and roll" instead of walk them into their class. Emily was rather miffed about this. Morgan was nervous. But, I had to be at work early that day and I had already taken Drew to daycare and SaSa to High school. I didn't take their picture on the first day of school. Well, I did, but it was AFTER school. They were still cute. They're my kids after all. I'll probably make a first-day-of-school fuss again when Drew goes to kindergarten. I did make a special breakfast bread for them. Neither of them ate it. They wanted Frosted Flakes. I didn't have any. They wanted Pancakes. Too bad, I didn't have the time. They got toast and Corn Chex...with like five spoons of sugar in the bowl. See? I'm a good mom. A bad mom wouldn't let them have ANY sugar.
Mo Monkey is playing the violin this year. She's so funny. I think Karma came to visit me...she is so LOUD when she practices. I don't remember being that loud. Plus, I've played the violin so I am trying to teach and not criticize. This is very difficult for me.
Emily has already introduced herself to the school staff, including the new nurse. Emily loves the staff at her school and enjoyes the fringe benefits of her visits to the office.
For instance, when she walked to the office to tell the secretary she had missed the bus on the first day of school she was allowed to get a sucker from the candy jar while the office staff fell all over themselves trying to flag the bus down to wait for her. Last year, the nurse kept Pop Tarts in her office for those with an "upset stomach". Emily was often plagued with an upset stomach last year.
Morgan (as usual) was very excited and loved, loved, loved her new teacher and wants to do everything very well.
Emily loves... well, we don't know what Emily loves.
The girls also had their first Girl Scout meeting. We love Girl Scouts. I can almost smell the Thin Mints....
Drew started his new school. He loves his teacher's whistle-necklas. She uses it often. I think he sees it as an object of power. He's asking for one all the time now.
SaSa is a little overwhelmed by the new American High School. In Germany they don't have extra cirricular activities like sports or cheerleading. Not even Student Council. They don't have a graduation ceremony or prom. Yuck!!!!
Well, that's enough for now!
My official first day of school went rather well, considering I made the girls "tuck and roll" instead of walk them into their class. Emily was rather miffed about this. Morgan was nervous. But, I had to be at work early that day and I had already taken Drew to daycare and SaSa to High school. I didn't take their picture on the first day of school. Well, I did, but it was AFTER school. They were still cute. They're my kids after all. I'll probably make a first-day-of-school fuss again when Drew goes to kindergarten. I did make a special breakfast bread for them. Neither of them ate it. They wanted Frosted Flakes. I didn't have any. They wanted Pancakes. Too bad, I didn't have the time. They got toast and Corn Chex...with like five spoons of sugar in the bowl. See? I'm a good mom. A bad mom wouldn't let them have ANY sugar.
Mo Monkey is playing the violin this year. She's so funny. I think Karma came to visit me...she is so LOUD when she practices. I don't remember being that loud. Plus, I've played the violin so I am trying to teach and not criticize. This is very difficult for me.
Emily has already introduced herself to the school staff, including the new nurse. Emily loves the staff at her school and enjoyes the fringe benefits of her visits to the office.
For instance, when she walked to the office to tell the secretary she had missed the bus on the first day of school she was allowed to get a sucker from the candy jar while the office staff fell all over themselves trying to flag the bus down to wait for her. Last year, the nurse kept Pop Tarts in her office for those with an "upset stomach". Emily was often plagued with an upset stomach last year.
Morgan (as usual) was very excited and loved, loved, loved her new teacher and wants to do everything very well.
Emily loves... well, we don't know what Emily loves.
The girls also had their first Girl Scout meeting. We love Girl Scouts. I can almost smell the Thin Mints....
Drew started his new school. He loves his teacher's whistle-necklas. She uses it often. I think he sees it as an object of power. He's asking for one all the time now.
SaSa is a little overwhelmed by the new American High School. In Germany they don't have extra cirricular activities like sports or cheerleading. Not even Student Council. They don't have a graduation ceremony or prom. Yuck!!!!
Well, that's enough for now!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Count Down to Victory!
The 2009-2010 school year begins August 20th. I am so thankful for this for so many reasons. I know summer isn't officially over YET, but we are winding down and I can smell the scent of fresh crayons in the air. Let me pause to count the blessings of the new school term...
1. LESS DAYCARE COSTS! Don't get me started talking about my internal struggle with someone other than myself raising my child. I think about it daily.
2. A MORE ORGANIZED HOME! Children at home with a 16 year old babysitter = a really messy house.
3. New work hours! Yes ladies and gentleman, I am now working 32 hours a week. Perfect hours for a mommy with school aged children. 9-3. I drop them off at 8 go back home and put on my make-up, drink a cup of tea, watch the morning news...all...alone...in peace and...quiet. Then I'm ready to face the day.
This is such a fabulous arrangement that I will have to think very seriously about keeping these hours even when the recession is over and my boss announces that I am welcome to work 40 hours again. I think I will say, "No thank you."
So, the point being to this is that I will be able to attend all of my children's Monday Morning Assemblies. I will be able to get back to the school library and shelve books and keep in touch with my new found PTA friends.
Okay so these are the top 3 reasons I cannot wait until the school term begins. Yipeeee!
Oh, P.S.- Morgan did not come out of this summer vacation entirely unscathed. She came back from a visit in the countryside with a tick hitching a ride in her ear canal. We had to make a trip to the E.R. The whole ordeal was very disturbing for myself. Morgan took it like a champ. She screamed bloody murder but didn't move a muscle. You would have had to knock me out with a heavy sedative and strapped me down to the bed if you had told me you were going to dig in my ear with a, "small scalpel". What??!! Okay, I have to stop thinking about that right now...
Lights Out!
The 2009-2010 school year begins August 20th. I am so thankful for this for so many reasons. I know summer isn't officially over YET, but we are winding down and I can smell the scent of fresh crayons in the air. Let me pause to count the blessings of the new school term...
1. LESS DAYCARE COSTS! Don't get me started talking about my internal struggle with someone other than myself raising my child. I think about it daily.
2. A MORE ORGANIZED HOME! Children at home with a 16 year old babysitter = a really messy house.
3. New work hours! Yes ladies and gentleman, I am now working 32 hours a week. Perfect hours for a mommy with school aged children. 9-3. I drop them off at 8 go back home and put on my make-up, drink a cup of tea, watch the morning news...all...alone...in peace and...quiet. Then I'm ready to face the day.
This is such a fabulous arrangement that I will have to think very seriously about keeping these hours even when the recession is over and my boss announces that I am welcome to work 40 hours again. I think I will say, "No thank you."
So, the point being to this is that I will be able to attend all of my children's Monday Morning Assemblies. I will be able to get back to the school library and shelve books and keep in touch with my new found PTA friends.
Okay so these are the top 3 reasons I cannot wait until the school term begins. Yipeeee!
Oh, P.S.- Morgan did not come out of this summer vacation entirely unscathed. She came back from a visit in the countryside with a tick hitching a ride in her ear canal. We had to make a trip to the E.R. The whole ordeal was very disturbing for myself. Morgan took it like a champ. She screamed bloody murder but didn't move a muscle. You would have had to knock me out with a heavy sedative and strapped me down to the bed if you had told me you were going to dig in my ear with a, "small scalpel". What??!! Okay, I have to stop thinking about that right now...
Lights Out!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Bratwurst anyone?
Well, call me crazy, but we are adding one more to our family. Hold your horses everyone! We are just hosting an exchange student from Germany for a semester. We are very excited. She seems to be a very sweet girl with world travel experience already. We've been e-mailing back and forth for a couple of weeks. Her written english is pretty good. We haven't spoken to her yet. She should be here at the beginning of August. Not a whole lotta time to clean out the spare bedroom closet. I will miss having a room just for folding laundry. Maybe this living situation will force me to finish an entire load of laundry in one day. I'll work on that....right after I brush up on my limited German vocabulary. AL-VEETER-ZANE UNT GOOTEN NACHT! (That was the phonetic spelling of "So long and Good Night!)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Does God think it's funny when...?
For all of you parents out there.
You know when your kid says something funny because he confuses the English language? Like when my 3 year old announces he wants to go see Erin with you. Only you don't know an Erin. Then you discover that you think out loud and say that you're going to go "run errands". So, you giggle when you solve the verbal puzzle your 3 year old has given you.
You think it's cute.
You call your mom and tell her the story.
You tell co-workers.
If you're really industrious you immediately write it in his baby book.
If you're like me, you wait a couple of weeks and blog about it.
Anyway, so now you have a reference for what I'm talking about.
The glimpse God gives you of your child and his ever-expanding world.
I wonder if God thought thought it humorous when tonight I made the realization that I am really a full-fledged, PTA member, carpooling, ER visiting, M-O-M.
WHAT??!!
No, I haven't been in a state of denial these past 9 (choke, gag, cough, sputter, inhale, hack) years. I think I've just come to the age of parenthood when I can remember being a 9 year old daughter and what I thought and felt about my mother in the exact same experience I had this evening with my now 9 year old daughter. I am at the age in my parenthood where it scares me because I know my children will remember my every action and reaction and my children now have their own point of view. Yes, this gives me a little chill of responsibility. I have blossoming young daughters. It's time to put my game face on.
My childhood flashback was of my mother doing laundry.
So there I was tonight, opening up the dufflebags from my daughters' first church camp experience. The smell of wet, souring bath towels wafted through the room. I gagged. I remember coming home from church camp and my mother yelling at me from the garage (a stupid place to put a washer and dryer) to unload my dirty laundry immediately. I remember being annoyed with her. I had just spent a week running, swimming, socializing and getting sunburned. Didn't she care that I was tired? I'm being totally serious about this.
Tonight I have an understanding of why my mom gave me so many dirty looks.
Tonight I've added one more reason of why I love my mom.
Tonight I've added one more reason of why I love being a mom.
So, I'll leave you more experienced parents now to giggle about my epiphany. I have to go now and give some dirty looks to my kids.
You know when your kid says something funny because he confuses the English language? Like when my 3 year old announces he wants to go see Erin with you. Only you don't know an Erin. Then you discover that you think out loud and say that you're going to go "run errands". So, you giggle when you solve the verbal puzzle your 3 year old has given you.
You think it's cute.
You call your mom and tell her the story.
You tell co-workers.
If you're really industrious you immediately write it in his baby book.
If you're like me, you wait a couple of weeks and blog about it.
Anyway, so now you have a reference for what I'm talking about.
The glimpse God gives you of your child and his ever-expanding world.
I wonder if God thought thought it humorous when tonight I made the realization that I am really a full-fledged, PTA member, carpooling, ER visiting, M-O-M.
WHAT??!!
No, I haven't been in a state of denial these past 9 (choke, gag, cough, sputter, inhale, hack) years. I think I've just come to the age of parenthood when I can remember being a 9 year old daughter and what I thought and felt about my mother in the exact same experience I had this evening with my now 9 year old daughter. I am at the age in my parenthood where it scares me because I know my children will remember my every action and reaction and my children now have their own point of view. Yes, this gives me a little chill of responsibility. I have blossoming young daughters. It's time to put my game face on.
My childhood flashback was of my mother doing laundry.
So there I was tonight, opening up the dufflebags from my daughters' first church camp experience. The smell of wet, souring bath towels wafted through the room. I gagged. I remember coming home from church camp and my mother yelling at me from the garage (a stupid place to put a washer and dryer) to unload my dirty laundry immediately. I remember being annoyed with her. I had just spent a week running, swimming, socializing and getting sunburned. Didn't she care that I was tired? I'm being totally serious about this.
Tonight I have an understanding of why my mom gave me so many dirty looks.
Tonight I've added one more reason of why I love my mom.
Tonight I've added one more reason of why I love being a mom.
So, I'll leave you more experienced parents now to giggle about my epiphany. I have to go now and give some dirty looks to my kids.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Really, No pressure at all....
Okay, so I receive an invitation in the mail about my upcoming 15 year High School Class Reunion. I run through a list of emotions in about 6 seconds. This is easy when you are born a girl. Increase that ability X 2 if you also have ADD. Ha!
1. Excitement 2. Anticipation 3. Nostalgia 4. Curiosity 5. Reservation 6. Concern 7. Panic 8. Control 9. Calm 10. Resolve 11. Determination.
Right now I'm at # 10- Resolve. I know I need to make some serious changes in my water in-take and consistency of aerobic exercise. I think I will have to sacrifice some time with the family to jump start this little project of mine..... But good grief! It's been like 105 degrees lately. I don't want my children to find me passed out on the garage floor from heat exhaustion.
1. Excitement 2. Anticipation 3. Nostalgia 4. Curiosity 5. Reservation 6. Concern 7. Panic 8. Control 9. Calm 10. Resolve 11. Determination.
Right now I'm at # 10- Resolve. I know I need to make some serious changes in my water in-take and consistency of aerobic exercise. I think I will have to sacrifice some time with the family to jump start this little project of mine..... But good grief! It's been like 105 degrees lately. I don't want my children to find me passed out on the garage floor from heat exhaustion.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sum-Sum-Summer Time!
I've heard several child "experts" say that the best thing your kid can say to you in the summer is, "I'm bored". I've read about and prepared for this summer's KID activities with the focus and attention I would usually give to preparing a bowl of ice cream. Which, if you know me, can be pretty intense.
I' pretty excited by the fact two weeks of summer vacation have gone by and my KID activity resources haven't been exhausted yet! This happened last summer and I still don't quite know where I went wrong... This summer we are making our local VBS rounds, keeping them constructively busy from 9-12 this week. Next week they are taking Summer Spectacular classes. Summer Spectacular is fabulous. The kids get to make their own choices on which classes they would like to attend.
Mo Monkey chose Irish River Dancing, Celtic Arts and Crafts and CSI for Kids. I love her. Lula Bug is taking Irish River Dancing (with sis) Ballet and Cheer leading. I hope they take naps everyday when they come home from class....good, long, non-mess-making naps.
I have supplied them with glitter glue, Popsicle sticks, yarn, pipe cleaners, scrap paper, bead making kits, pot-holder making kits, needle point kits, water colors, sidewalk chalk, sprinklers, stamping projects, community service projects for our grandmother-figure neighbor, blah, blah, blah....
I gathered all of these objects in front of them one evening and had them make a list of everything they thought they could do with these things. A brain storming session!
Now, whenever they say, "I'm bored". I reply "That's GREAT! Go get your list!" Saying this makes me feel clever. Of course, it can backfire on me. I'm still thinking of potential flaws in my system.
I' pretty excited by the fact two weeks of summer vacation have gone by and my KID activity resources haven't been exhausted yet! This happened last summer and I still don't quite know where I went wrong... This summer we are making our local VBS rounds, keeping them constructively busy from 9-12 this week. Next week they are taking Summer Spectacular classes. Summer Spectacular is fabulous. The kids get to make their own choices on which classes they would like to attend.
Mo Monkey chose Irish River Dancing, Celtic Arts and Crafts and CSI for Kids. I love her. Lula Bug is taking Irish River Dancing (with sis) Ballet and Cheer leading. I hope they take naps everyday when they come home from class....good, long, non-mess-making naps.
I have supplied them with glitter glue, Popsicle sticks, yarn, pipe cleaners, scrap paper, bead making kits, pot-holder making kits, needle point kits, water colors, sidewalk chalk, sprinklers, stamping projects, community service projects for our grandmother-figure neighbor, blah, blah, blah....
I gathered all of these objects in front of them one evening and had them make a list of everything they thought they could do with these things. A brain storming session!
Now, whenever they say, "I'm bored". I reply "That's GREAT! Go get your list!" Saying this makes me feel clever. Of course, it can backfire on me. I'm still thinking of potential flaws in my system.
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