Some random thought on Parent/Teacher conferences

My daughter, the school teacher, posted some thought on parent/teacher conferences. In that post, she stated what she believed parents were really thinking when they spoke to her at conference. Here's my rebuttal to that one....

Teacher: I just love your son!

What the teacher means: I have no idea who your kid is.

Teacher: He's such a joy to have in class

What the teacher means (WTTM): No one is a joy in class. I don't even like kids.

Teacher: It was so nice to meet you.

WTTM: Hurry up and leave, because I want to go home.

Parent: Why is my son's grade in math so low?

What the parent is thinking: He's an ace in math, you dolt.

Teacher: Well, let's see here....what class period is he in again?

WTTM: I don't even know who your kid is, how should I know why he's doing poorly?

Parent: We hear your name at our house often

What the parent is thinking (WTPIT): It's used in vain, mostly. We routinely laugh at you behind your back

Parent: What can we do to help our son?

WTPIT: How are we going to get you fired? You have tenure. Is is possible to make you as miserable as my child so that you quit?

Parent: Thanks for your time

WTPIT: How did you graduate from college, and who the heck gave you this job?!

Teacher: I look forward to seeing you again!

WTTM: I wonder if she's figured out that I don't know who her kid is?

I just want you to all be aware, that if all school teachers were as amazing as my daughter, the above conversation never would have occurred....assuming that it occurred....

My, how time flies...

Once upon a time, a mom checked on her blog and realized, "It's been quite a while since I've found/made the time to blog! A lot has happened since the end of September! I realized that I never blogged about my 25th anniversary party (and they said it would never last). We had a "barn dance" of sorts in the church gym. There were sunflowers aplenty sitting in mason jars atop bandanas for the centerpieces. There were also haybales (small on the tables, and large in the corner of the room). We had music playing (custom made CDs with all of the music that Kerry and I listened to all those years ago! Alabama, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, The Bellamy Brothers, etc.). An anniversary cake in the corner, and lots of fried chicken and potato salad for dinner. It was a great night, thanks to all of my "kids"! And, I'm happy to say that I would do it all again! Here's to another 25 years!
I also turned 45 years old since I last blogged. That makes me what my family refers to as "halfway to dead", assuming, of course, that I live to 90! haha
We've had our first Halloween in Idaho without snow! Or at least the first Halloween in recent memory! It was really quite pleasant!
I've had many clinical hours since last we met. I was worried that I may not like nursing afterall....all of these years of waiting...what if I got "into it" and discovered that it wasn't for me?! Not to fear! I LOVE IT!!!! I still want to be a nurse when I grow up! :D
We had a great Thanksgiving with all of our children. So many of them to be thankful for! We also completed our traditional "Black Friday" shopping! We seem to be dropping the men like flies, however....they just don't seem to enjoy the thrill as much as we womenfolk!
I have finished my semester at school! Because they raised the silly grade scale (silly, because I didn't reach it...) to 95% for an A, and 90-94% an A-, I don't have a 4.0 any longer. However, I still have straight A's! (at least, that is what I'm going to call them! who cares if there is a little old minus sign next to most of them?)
Last, but not least, we have a new addition to the family planned. No, nobody new is expecting! :D We are getting a new son-in-law to add to the family in March. Trevor and Jessie are our new couple! We are all so excited to add him to the family! It appears that his family appreciates our Jessie as well."
And they all lived happily ever after!

Never "bump" a light when a cop is behind you!

I was told this evening, by a man in a blue uniform with a very bad temperament, that if you ever wonder whether or not to go through a light you should "err on the side of caution". Getting pulled over was just enjoyable enough, but add in the fact that both the "big" boys and Kerry were in the car....well, let's just say that I may never live this one down. Especially because I've been giving Kerry quite a bit of grief for his little "run-in" with the law. I deserve it, but I don't have to like it!
The good news is that he decided to let me go. Probably because he just didn't want to deal with the paperwork, but it was nice anyway. He was such a big grumpy gus that I just knew he'd slam me with a ticket! But, he only brought back my license with him...NO TICKET! He said (picture a grumpy face with a cranky voice) that because I didn't put anyone in harm's way, and no risk was really involved, he'd let me go. I said thank you....then waited until he was WAY down the block before I pulled away! Not wanting to take any chances, don't ya' know. Kerry thought that he'd better drive home after we left the church. (Yes. Not only did I bump a light, but I did so on the way to the church. No scruples.) I let Kerry drive home. Excuse me now, while I go eat a huge plate of crow. Maybe ketchup will help it to go down.

Some things that I've learned

I've learned many things on my little road through life. Most recently, I learned that you must always make sure that your son brings his SOCKS upstairs with his football pants and jersey. I was doing so well on Saturday. I washed laundry all day. In an effort to save myself a little trouble, I asked said child to bring his football clothes upstairs when we got home from his game. I figured that I could wash his uniform, making it all ready for game day. Sure. The football pants came clean (I hate grass stains in white football pants...but that would be for another blog). The jersey was washed and hung.
Flash forward to Tuesday night. Little J comes upstairs to declare that tomorrow is picture day. I, realizing that I would likely be gone before he ever arose, told him to bring his clothes upstairs for approval. He brought up a nice red shirt, and slacks with patches on the knees. (That last part having to do with how I learned that boys cannot wear pants without wearing holes in the knees. It's simply impossible.) I told him to find another pair of pants. You can see where this is going. "I don't have any other pants!" To which I replied,"I washed clothes for hours on Saturday, getting everything washed, and you have no other pants?!"
He wandered down the stairs to assure me (and himself) that he had no other pants. I went to the laundry room to put in another load of laundry...just in the off chance he really did know what he was talking about. He had no idea what he was talking about. I, realizing he did have pants, decided to study for the four test I had on Wednesday morning... forgetting the clothes in the washer. No big deal. Don't need those clothes. I'll put them in the dryer in the morning.
Wednesday morning. Tired. Bone tired. Can't get out of bed. Finally get out of bed. Get ready, clean out the car, load all of my 989,000 books into the van. Head to school. Forget about the clothes. No big deal. I'll dry then when I get home. Nobody needs them now.
Wednesday evening. Get home from school at 5:30. Have to leave to get Heath to a football game, in fifteen minutes. Have to drive 45 minutes to get him there for before the game practice. (I've also learned that coaches think football is life, and that moms really have nothing better to do than to drive their children to a town 45 minutes away, and wait 1 hour for the game to start.) Where are his pants? Why isn't he ready? (I've learned that boys do not get ready when you call home on your way and tell them it is imperative that he's ready on time....) Can't find your pants?! I washed them Saturday! (see above....) Good. He's indeed found his pants. Found his shirt. Where the heck are those socks?! They have to be clean (see above...) I suddenly remember that I needed to put clothes in the dryer. I go put the clothes in the dryer and find what? The socks. Wet. We now have 5 minutes before leaving. My dryer is good, but it isn't that good. (lesson: boys don't bring the socks unless you specify that to be part of the uniform)
We leave for football. How to dry the socks? Hanging out the window flapping in the breeze of course! 15 minutes, turn. Lesson learned: It takes football socks 30 minutes to dry at 65 miles per hour....

The "dreaded" phone calls

Yesterday, I received a very rare phone call from a daughter. It's not rare that they call me. It's just rare that they call me at 8 in the morning. Unless they need something. She didn't need anything. She was just passing on a little info. She was really just checking to see if the other sister had beaten her to the punch. Seems that one of my little Pocatello girls has been dating someone. That's not really a dreaded phone call. He's not an axe murderer, or anything like that. But, he does indeed have one major flaw. He drives a FORD. Yes, I know. It's what made the phone call a little bit dreadful. But, it's okay. I told her not to worry. That old ford is bound to break down, and when it does he can upgrade to a Chevy! I went through the rest of the school day unscathed with phone calls. Then, after I picked up the boys from school and was headed across town to see skinny Jeff run, I decided to call my little (okay, maybe not so little anymore...but they are so young, it's easy to call them "little") girls in Pocatello. I was really calling to see if one of them had "the" crutches. You see, one of those phone calls had eluded me earlier in the day. It seems that Heath was playing football at school during lunch, and twisted his knee. It's not fatal, just a little painful. So, I called to see which of my daughters might have taken them home to Pocatello. I got Jessie's voicemail. As I was leaving a message, I remembered that it was Holly that had taken them. I called Holly....dreaded phone call. She had just been through a terribly frightening ordeal! There she was, just riding her little bike and being all "green" (not really, she just hates the gas mileage she gets in her car...bikes are easier on the wallet), when a very inattentive driver turned a corner and hit her! Fortunately, she is okay! She was just very shaken when I talked to her. The bike seems to be okay as well, maybe just a little bit wobbly in the back (a new rim may be in order here). I have talked to her since, and she really is just fine.
Today, I went down to Pocatello for a health fair. We get clinical hours counted for volunteering at such things. Taking blood pressures, etc. Anyway, I was so excited to go to Jessie's house for some homemade enchilada. MMMMM! So, I'm almost there, and my directionally challenged brain realized that I must call for help. As I'm speaking with Jessie, Kerry calls through. I put Jessie on hold to tell Kerry that I will call him right back. He says,"No." What? He never says no when I tell him I'll call him back. Seems that he was taking a bit of a ride in the country with his Mom and the "little" boys when he happened upon a nice little sheriff's officer. When I say "happened upon", I mean head on collision. NO PANICKING. Everyone is fine. Sort of. Jared lost a tooth. No big deal....oh, wait. This tooth was a permanent tooth. Right in the front of his little mouth. So, I called the dentist and told him what happened. Kerry and company were at least an hour away. Brad said to put the tooth back in. Yeah. Right. This idea didn't go over very well with either Kerry OR Jared. But put it back in he did. Well, they had to wait quite a while, because when you hit a Bonneville County Sheriff's officer, an Idaho State Police officer has to respond. The nearest one was in Idaho Falls. You guessed it. An hour away.
We finally got everyone home, and Brad met us at his office. He has done a little repair work (fishing line glued to his teeth to stabilize it) and we need to go back on Thursday. We also need to make an appointment with an endodontist for next week. Dr. O says that we have a 50/50 chance of keeping this tooth. Jared has to eat a soft diet (no chewing of any kind) for the next 2 weeks. Pudding, yogurt, baby fruit. Nice. I think I will quit using the phones....

The President's daughter is indeed pregnant!

YES!!! However, this president's daughter has been married two LONG years! (She doesn't think that it's long, but for a woman that seriously is looking forward to spoiling grandchildren it has been a VERY long time!) I am hoping for a little pink bundle, but I will be just as happy with a blue one! I'm going to have to restrain myself at the stores, as I have already begun buying baby things (even before the announcement was thought of!). I think it's just amazing that this little bundle from Heaven will have 2 great-great-grandmothers! And, if my count is correct, 4 great-grandmothers! WOW! The only thing about this that doesn't elate me is that I will be a grandmother when I graduate...makes me seem so old! I really should have done my college career earlier in life! :D On the other hand, how many grandchildren can say that they were present at their grandmother's college graduation?

Hail to the chief....WHAT?!

Well, school is back in full swing. Studying, going to class, studying, driving to football practice, studying at football practice, doing laundry, studying, going to class...you get the picture. I am excited though! Our first clinicals as student nurses begins on Monday! We have been doing med check-offs, and injection check-offs to prepare. It's terrifying (because I am a creature of habit, and this is change) and exciting all at once!
Yesterday, we found out that each "program" at EITC has a class president. Nominations and voting followed this announcement, and I find myself the new class president for the LPN program! Exciting! Terrifying! (refer to above comment about change....) I'm not sure of all my responsibilities yet, but I do know that all of the class officers are amazing, and it should be loads of fun working with them, if nothing else!
This was a full weekend. I thought that Labor Day was supposed to signify a rest from Labor....not! We picked green beans galore (okay, "we" is mostly Heather & Big Jared... but I did help....) Then, Heather and I went shopping! (I just love shopping!) It was Jessie's birthday party on Monday. Yes, her birthday is actually in August, and this was the first of September, but we are finding that the bigger the family becomes (and the older the family members get), the harder it is to get everyone together! We had a great time with her party! Played some fun games, ate some great food, and just generally enjoyed being together.
Looking forward now to another party with the family on Sunday, for little Jared. But first, we must live through the sleepover on Friday with his friends....(only two, thank Heavens...it coulda been much worse....)

You ever have one of "those" days?

Yesterday, my little Holly decided that she was going to have a party at our house. (Actually, she didn't decide that yesterday; yesterday was the designated day). Not a big deal. The party wasn't until 3pm. Heath had a football game, but it was going to be over by 1:30. She only wanted me to provide the buns, hotdogs, and lemonade. Not a big deal....famous last words.
When we got home from the football game, the thought that we should go over to Grandma's and get the folding banquet tables popped into my stupid head. Holly needs the volleyball from Grandma's basement anyway. Heath, being quite the gentleman, decided that he'd go with me and help. We headed outside....WAIT! We can't take the van, because Jeff has it in Lava. No problem! We'll just take the truck. We head back to the garage. We get all settled in. Turn the key in the ignition...GREAT! The truck won't start. Dead battery. No problem! Dad has a really cool battery charger! We'll just hook it up and start the truck. We get the charger. We hook it up. All set to go...DANG! The charger isn't charged. No problem! I have jumper cables! We go to get the cables...SHOOT! The cables are in the van. The van is at Lava Hot Springs with Jeff. No problem! Dad has another set right here by the window! We'll just use those. Open the hood to the car. We'll just hook these up...ARE YOU KIDDING?! The jumper cables are about 5 feet long. The truck battery is on the drivers side...against the outside garage wall. The car battery is on the passenger side...against the inside garage wall. No problem! I'll just back the car out and get it as close to the truck as I can. Here we go...NICE! Except that now I have to climb out the other side of the car...got it too close for my fat butt to get out the driver's side. (in my defense, Jeff's 6'1", 118# body couldn't have gotten out either) Okay. We are all set. Let's just get this stupid truck running. GOT IT! SWEET! Let's get to Grandma's and get those tables.
We make it to Grandma's house. Let's just leave the truck running. I don't want to have to jump it again. CRAP! I just turned off the truck! SWEET! The truck started right up again! We just need to get the extra garage door that Grandma keeps hidden in her flowers. What? It's not there? Let's look in the other flowers...how about the other flowers? Now what? No problem! She surely left a window unlocked. We'll just "break-in". Checking windows...checking doors...THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS! Who locks their house when they go camping?! Apparently, Grandma does. What do we do now? We can live without the tables, but we have no volleyball. No problem! There is a window underneath the deck in the backyard. You can see it, because there is lattice trim around the deck. There is just enough room for Heath to crawl under. The window is unlocked! Do you have a key to pry the screen off? Sure I do. In the truck. The one that I can't turn off. Here. Use this wicket from the croquet set. Did it work? Excellent! Let me in! We find the tables. We find the volleyball. We find an extra key so that we don't have to do this again. We get the screen back in the window. Life is good! No problems! I will take Heath back home so that he can help Holly set up the volleyball net while I go to the store...in the car, so that I can turn it off.
Heath is home, and I'm in the car headed to Wal-Mart. No problems. Great! Look at that prime parking spot! Up front! On a Saturday! What great fortune! Let's see...list, phone, purse...NO!! My purse isn't here. It's at home. In the truck. No problem. I'll just go back home and get it. I call home. I forgot my purse. Way to go, Mom. I'm on my way. I can't talk anymore. My phone battery is dying. No problem. I'll just plug in my car charger. Oh. The car charger is in the van. The van is at Lava Hot Springs. Okay, I'm home now anyway. Get the purse. Off to Wal-Mart. The weather is wonderful! I'll roll down the windows and smell the fresh air and enjoy the breeze! Look at the beautiful grass in front of the apartments by Wal-Mart. Look at the sprinklers...SPLENDID! Look at the water from the broken sprinkler going right inside my rolled down window, wetting my face, hair, etc. No problem. That's what ponytails were invented for. And I don't have on my make-up yet anyway. Find a parking space. Excuse me, you moron. Could you and your ninety-seven friends please walk a little slower? I don't think I should be driving this fast in the parking lot. How fast am I going? Oh. I can't tell. The speedometer doesn't go that low. SHEESH! In the store. They have everything I need. (including the chocolate bar that I now truly believe I need). Just need to find me a line. WHAT IS GOING ON?! There are only 5000 people that live in Ammon! How is it that we are all at the same place at the same time?! Find a line. Get out. Get home.
The party was wonderful! Everyone had a great time! And the best part is, that today has already shaped up to be a much less frustrating one.... :D

Sisterhood

Last night, the girls and I had our last summer hurrah! Well, our last girls' night out for the summer, anyway! We started by arguing over where to go for dinner. Seems my daughters are living in a different tax bracket? They suggested things like Pita Pit, and Taco Smell. We ended up going to the Texas Roadhouse. Nothing like a great steak for dinner! Heaven on earth! (Even better than a chocolate dipped ice cream cone! Barely, but better! LOL) The only downside was that they (the people that work at Roadhouse) insisted on playing many Taylor Swift songs. For those who care, none of us can stand Taylor Swift. UGH. Then, we went to a bookstore to kill some time before our movie started. I could spend days in bookstores! The movie that we went to see was "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2". A complete and total chick flick! LOVED IT!!!! The movie was a full two hours long, but really didn't seem that long. It was wonderful! We went outside and discovered that it had rained while we were in the theater. (not a common thing, rain, in Idaho) It smelled SOOOO good! We decided to drive around town with the windows down just so that we could smell the fresh air! (But, it got too cold, so we didn't last very long with that idea....) We then went to Olive Garden for dessert. MMMMMMM. Do you realize how wonderful their chocolate cheesecake is? It's absolutely to die for! The poor waiter thought that we were laughing at him...and we were! We had a great time just laughing and joking with each other. What a great night.

Heaven dipped in chocolate

Has anyone else ever noticed that not much tastes better than a chocolate dipped cone from Diary Queen? I used to eat "dilly bars" when I was little. My grandma would take us to the Dairy Queen that was located conveniently down the road from her house. Sometimes, they would be having banana split specials at Dairy Queen. She must not have liked to eat ice cream alone, because she would always call our family to go out for a treat with her. I remember on those occasions not having a dilly bar, but splitting the banana split with my little sister. I'm not sure exactly when I began liking chocolate dipped cones, but since then, a dilly bar just doesn't cut it anymore. I remember that my Dad used to like them, too. I do like the occasional hot fudge sundae, as well, but there is just something about those cones! I realize that you can now get dipped cones that are soft served at McD's and Arctic Circle, but there is something about that Dairy Queen cone with the little swirl on top. It must make the ice cream taste better somehow. Now that both my Dad and my Grandma are eating their ice cream cones in Heaven, it makes me wonder if they have a Dairy Queen there? And do they still have banana splits "specials"? :D

School Days...YUCK

Today, I paid my fees and bought my books for the next semester. YUCK. I only bought 4 books this semester (because I had a fifth book already at home! what luck!) and it cost me quite a bundle (a bundle is more than $200...quite a bundle is much bigger....). I also paid my fees (which are more than quite a bundle...by a whole lot!). The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that I only have to pay fees one more time before graduation! YEAH! I also picked up the scrubs that I had to order this summer. I wish that the college would change to purple instead of royal blue, as purple is my signature color. Alas, I don't think they really care...RUDE.
Yesterday, we went to help Heather set up her classroom. It's hard to believe that Kerry is old enough to have a daughter that has not only graduated from college, but is in her second year of teaching. Actually, he's older than that because he has TWO daughters that have graduated from college... Anyway, we put her books on shelves, and arranged her desks. We also got to fill her cupboards! I know that she will rearrange everything (how many times does a woman rearrange her kitchen cupboards before they are "just right" when moving to a new abode?) but, it looks great! She still has to do her bulletin boards, but that is really something that she has to do on her own.
It seems like it just stopped snowing here (oh, maybe that's because it just did!), and already school is starting. Heather starts the 14th, I start the 18th, the "little boys" start the 20th, and the big boy starts the 22nd. Then, the "little girls" start back to ISU on the 25th. This really exhausts me to think about. I think I'll go take a nap! YEAH!

One "wicked" family reunion!

So, this weekend was our family's last "official" summer outing. We went down to Utah for a family reunion. We drove down on Friday afternoon, because we found amazing half-price tickets for Lagoon (an amusement park). I was foolishly thinking that I could avoid any and all "scary" rides because Jessie has never had a fondness for them. You know, hang out with Jessie so that she's not all alone. How was I to know that she'd have a sudden burst of courage?! Needless to say, my plan backfired. (Which, as a side note, explains why my parents may have been so worried about me as a teen....peer pressure still gets me to do things that I wouldn't ordinarily do on my own!) First, Kerry said, "Let's go on the old white roller coaster!". I said "sure" since I was figuring that he'd go on to bigger and better things without me! Foolish, foolish girl. I need to say that for those who don't know me well, I am petrified of heights, and I like my feet to be touching something (so the "sky coaster", which is just a ski-lift over the park, is not my favorite ride). We went on the roller coaster, the spider (which is so much fun, NOT. It is a roller coaster that has the added joy of spinning while moving along the tracks), and then WICKED. Keep in mind my earlier disclaimer about enjoying rides. Wicked shoots 120 feet straight up in the air, and then 120 feet straight back down. I mean straight. As in 90 degree angle to the ground. Then, not far into the ride, the darn things goes upside down. I survived. But, I was still shaking for several minutes after the ride. We also rode "rattlesnake rapids" and the "log ride" (which aren't much different in terms of wetness when done....I foolishly had a white t-shirt on...wet t-shirt contest anyone? Heavens.) Then, they took me on the swings...flying high above the ground (violation of rule number one...heights) on a swing (violation of rule number two...feet touching something). Everyone agreed that this was the greatest time we've ever had at Lagoon! I was great fun, in spite of my terror! LOL
Saturday, we went to the Golden Spike museum (the place where the railroad met from East to West). Then, on to the reunion where we had Cuban food to die for, and lots of great company! We went to church with Aunt Patty and Uncle Glendon (which always means a great Sunday dinner) and then the drive home. It was great to have all the kids together (even Big J!) for even just a weekend! Alas, now we realize that summer is all but over....

Girls night out...with the POLICE!

So, last night found me alone on "date night". Well, I wasn't totally alone, as I had 3 children at home. Okay, 2 children and Holly. Okay, Holly, a teenager, and a sweet child. Anyway, Jeff had gone camping with his scout troop to a "high adventure" (translation: a bunch of big boys playing in the wilderness, rafting, hiking, boating, etc....just hope that their leaders confiscated the matches first). Kerry went to help out (you know, blind leading the blind...or maybe just an adult contributing to the delinquency of many minors?). SO, I called Teri for a girls' night out. We went to Olive Garden, and sat in the bar while we waited for our table. If you haven't had one, I recommend the strawberry daiquiri (virgin, of course). Teri's favorite is the wild berry daiquiri. Then we had two bowls of salad! MMMMMMMM! We were only able to eat half of our entrees, but that was okay, because the salad and breadsticks were so great! We also got our favorite desserts to go (as we knew that we would want them today, but had NO room in the tummies for them last night. Then, we decided to go to a movie. Only problem was, not movies at the right times. (we are getting too old to stay awake in a movie that doesn't even begin until 10:40) No problem. Our Linen & Things is going out of business. We decided to go check it out. (This is a little off topic, but has anyone ever felt 300 count sheets? I found some that were on a killer deal sale. They feel so great, I can hardly wait to try them!) After we finished our shopping, we walked out to the car to put away our great finds. We found a mom with her daughter and two recent high school grads in the parking lot near our car. Apparently, two men in a white car hit the side of my car, and then left. Lovely. So, we called the police to make a report. The only thing that really made me do that was that they pointed out the cameras in the parking lot, and thought that maybe the police could figure out who had done it. Anyway, we are standing around in the parking lot waiting (forever, but shouldn't that be expected?) and the mom and daughter decide that they need to leave. Mom leaves her name and phone numbers and starts to leave. Just then, a white car with the two men (one "kind of a big guy with a blue striped shirt" just like the story we got) pulls up next to my car. Okay, here's my prejudice coming out. If you don't want to hear it, quit reading now. The girls had all said that they were Mexican, and possible drunk. Hmmm. Then the car shows up. Both Teri and I decided to stay back just a bit (the thought of knives, Mexican, and liquor just wasn't all that exciting to either of us). Then, the mom (who hadn't left yet) called dispatch to say that they had returned, and we needed police now. Dispatch assured her that he was around the corner. Turns out that the driver was "blacking out" and "needed food". So, they left the scene, went for food, and then returned. They were both apologizing profusely. I really do believe the story. The man is obviously Hispanic, but was whiter than Kerry's legs in winter. And, the good news is, he really does indeed have insurance. My mood, previously nearing swearing in public in front of a young girl, changed greatly upon their return. Turns out that they are more "South American" than "south-of-the-border", if that makes any sense. (I already confessed to being prejudice...) When all was said and done, I turned to Teri and said,"When I said we needed a girls' night out, this isn't what I had in mind." The cop said, "What?! This is an adventure! Everyone needs a little excitement!" Yeah, whatever! BTW, if you ever decide to "hit-and-run" in Idaho, you should probably know that you will get an automatic 6 months in prison, regardless of damage. The cop told the young man it was a good thing he came back!
As a side note, my black tie chocolate cheesecake was a yummy breakfast today! :d

Uncle Sam wants Jeff!

Yesterday, Jeff and I met Kerry at the Army National Guards Recruiting Office. It is official. Jeff is now a member of the Idaho National Guard. He will go to Salt Lake City (I know...it's in Utah, not Idaho...) on Monday afternoon. There he will be treated to a stay at the Radisson Inn (according to the recruiter, it's a 4 star hotel...whatever!). On Tuesday, he will have his physical. Then, on the way home, they will stop in Pocatello for their uniforms. I have always loved a man in uniform, but this isn't what a mom ever has in mind. The recruiter did point out that it's my fault Jeff joined. Afterall, I taught him to have a love of his country, be respectful, and serve others. He's only doing what he's been taught.

The rub of it all is that Jeff scored excellently on his exam. He was told that because of that, he can pick any job he wants. So, he picked a safe one, right? WRONG. He picked "combat engineer". They are the guys that build bridges for our troops to go across, then they blow them up so no one else can use them. Did I also mention that they disarm land mines? He will have his monthly drills until next summer when he will report for 14 weeks of boot camp and training. He will be in Missouri for boot camp, and they told us that we can go out for graduation and pick him up then. Might be kind of fun!

Then, he will go back to his monthly drills for 6 months, and then they will put him on "inactive status" so that he can take two years for his mission. The good thing is that Sgt. Wood said that he will be able to go to college before he is deployed. I don't like that word "deployed", by the way.

Sad as this might make me, I must say that I'm very proud of him. He's incredibly unselfish to do this, especially knowing that he could end up dying for his country (believe me, he knows...I used that on him, hoping to change his mind...or at least try to get him to be a paralegal or something!)

Have I mentioned that I hate cleaning?

So, I have all of this new "free" time now that school is out for what is left of summer. BUT, I wasn't able to see the carpet in my bedroom...I knew there was carpet in there, but hadn't seen it for all of the books, clothes, shoes, etc. that had been scattered on the floor. Cleaned the bedroom last week (making sure to "warn" Kerry before he came home from work, lest he should stumble in there and have a heart attack....heart attacks are not accidental, and therefore not covered under our largest insurance policy...I wonder if I had taken "before and after" pictures if the insurance company would have seen that as an accident?). Then, the guest room (which is right across the hall from the now clean master bedroom) began looking even worse in comparison to my room. So, I have been cleaning the guest room for most of the day. I am currently taking a break, because I simply can't stand any more. There really is only about 1/2 hour worth of work left, however. Guess I'd best get it done. Maybe I should have invited my CDO daughter over...it would have made her crazy and she would have helped me finish it! (BTW, CDO is "like OCD, only it's in alphabetical order, as it should be". Must be one of Kerry's kids? LOL! ...or should that be LLO?)

I just love "A"s!

It is official. I checked my grades and I got a 97% on the test I thought I didn't do so well on. That makes my final grade a 94.8%! That means I still have my 4.0. The only problem is that beginning next semester (which begins in just 4 more weeks) they are changing the grading scale. From now on, an "A" is 93% and above. If you have 90-92%, it's only an "A-". Bummer. Now I have to worry about more than just getting a 90%. Heather says that if I can just get an "A-", the pressure will be off! Then there won't be any more chance of a 4.0, so I don't have to worry and fret so.... That makes a great theory, but I don't know how it will actually work. I think that I will worry and fret even more, because I won't want my GPA to slip any further into the toilet.... Graduation is scheduled for May 12th, by the way. Mark your calendars! We are going to P-A-R-T-Y!!!! Only 2 semesters left until graduation (Jeff will also graduate from High School, and Heath will graduate from Middle School...big time partying going on at the Hansen house!)

School's out for Summer!!!

Wish that I was talented enough to figure out how to put Alice Cooper's "School's out for summer" song on my blog. You will all just have to hum it in your heads! :D I took my last final today, and then I went with 24 of my closest friends to Olive Garden to celebrate our freedom! It may be a little premature, however, since we don't know what our final grades are yet! So far, I have done pretty good this semester, but I'm afraid that I may not have done as well on my final final today... I have an A going into today's test (a 94.3 %...), so as long as I didn't totally screw up today's test, then I should still have my 4.0! (Can I just say that it is really hard keeping up with the bar that my kids have set?) On a good note, today one of the girls in my class asked me how old I was (after I made a comment about being sooooo old). I told her that I would be 45 in October, and she didn't believe me! She said, "Gosh! You don't act that old!" I've decided that the comment can be taken a couple of different ways. I've decided to go with the way that isn't insulting! LOL

4th of July

Once again, the 4th found us down in Idaho Falls at the annual parade. Jeff and Holly marched with Cedar Badge. Heath was planning on it, but he came down something, and was feeling pretty yucky. After the parade, we got Heath home, and found his temp was a mild 103.2. Not a very exciting way to spend the 4th. We took him to the urgent care where his rapid strep test came back negative. BUT, since his tonsils were nearly touching each other, and the fever was a tad out of control, and he had a nasty red throat that was also sore....the PA decided to treat him as though it was a positive test. Last night, Kerry and the "kids" went down to the greenbelt (the beautiful green path around the Snake River in Idaho Falls) to watch the annual fireworks display put on by Melaleuca. (It is rumored that Frank Vandersloot, CEO of Melaleuca, spends upwards of $1 million dollars every year to put on this show. It is about 1/2 hour long, and orchestrated to music that you can find on a local radio station) Heath and I stayed home, since that fever was still out of control, and he didn't feel so hot anyway. Okay, that's not true. He felt pretty hot. His temp was 103.8 at about 8PM. It was down to 100 at 10:30, so I gave him Tylenol (I had already given him Motrin at 8). This morning, I fully expected that he'd be feeling better, but his temp was 104. It has dropped down to 100 again...but won't go lower. We will see what we have tomorrow, and go from there.
So, while Heath and I didn't get to see the fireworks display, it was still a great day. It is still just amazing to realize that we live in a country where I can take my child to the doctor when he is sick, with no more worry other than wondering what Urgent Care will be open on the holiday. It's great that my family can walk the green belt in perfect safety. We still have pride enough in our country that we can have a parade that moves us to tears at times when we see a representation of the men and women who put their lives on the line for us each day to keep our freedoms. And, although I don't usually agree with them, it is wonderful that people who don't like our way of living can complain without fear of jail or worse. We are very blessed.

Cedar Badge is over!

Cedar Badge (National Youth Leadership Training) is now over for another year. It was a bittersweet ending once again. I was so glad that it was over (because we were all just so tired after 2 1/2 weeks) but so sad that it was all over because I just love being with those boys!
This year, Heather and Holly were on the commissary staff the first week (along with Susan T. who is amazing!). I was up there on Thursday afternoon of staff week, then had to come home Monday night for class Tuesday morning. I stayed at home until Thursday afternoon, drove up to Driggs and stayed again until Monday night. Rest, repeat.....okay, light on the rest part. The sad thing was that they did such an awesome job, I don't think that they really needed me! :( The second week, Heather was there again with Julie T. and Tawna (both of whom were also amazing). They didn't really need me the second week either, but they were good enough to let me think so! :D
Jeff was on staff the first week, and Heath was a participant. Graduation day was pretty awesome! Kerry and little Jared went camping and came up to Treasure Mountain on Saturday (for graduation). The big surprise was that they also had Jessie with them! SO, we had all of our family except for Big Jared on the hill! Pretty cool....
Holly stayed on the hill the second week as well, but she wasn't in the commissary! She was on Venturing staff. Due to snow, their hike included trudging through snow, and sliding down the other side on their back packs! BRRRRRRR!
Big highlights this year would be: 1. walking into the commissary one morning to find a "gorilla" standing there waiting to scare us. It was really just one of the quartermasters in costume, but we screamed nonetheless....okay, Holly didn't scream as she was too tired. 2. putting "skankie" underwear on a drying rack in front of the quartermaster's tent (they didn't even seem phased...) 3. The quartermasters gave us flowers in a unique vase.....a toilet bowl in front of the commissary and 4. a little boy who didn't want to stand up for flag ceremony decided to make his point with a knife (he didn't hurt anyone, and was sent promptly home....)
Now, I just have two weeks of school left for the summer! I'm going to enjoy being home with my kids for the month break that I will have before the fall semester begins! Can't believe that in two weeks I will only have 2 semesters left before graduation! Yeah!

Spring has finally sprung!

Well, here we are in June....very near the END of June, but we finally have spring! Too bad that summer is just a week away, and we won't get to enjoy it for very long. :( We started up at Cedar Badge last week. The first day was Wednesday for the commissary staff. The Quartermasters (the great people who fix the camp and keep it running) were up there on Monday. They arrived to about 6 inches of snow. On Wednesday, it snowed another 8 inches. Needless to say, we were a little concerned about the boys coming up. It may be "warm" in the valley, but up in them there hills the snow is deep and cold! It's a good thing for space heaters, and warm sleeping bags! We stay in a cabin, so it's not as cold as tents. BUT, we get up at 5:30 or so to get the food out to the camp. It's also a mite chilly in the middle of the night when an old lady like me has to get up and pee! It's a long walk in the cold night air to the lodge! (and cold makes me have to pee even more! sheesh!)

That "other guy"

So, we get to my Nana's house on Friday night and eat our quite delicious, and much looked forward to, green chili cheeseburgers from Lotaburger. It didn't take long before my five year old nephew, Ethan, became bored. Afterall, there were only adults in the house, and Heaven only knows what they were talking about! He goes and gets a blanket and lays it on the floor...presumably to lay down with. He then goes to get a pillow, but WAIT! He's stopped in his tracks! Kerry, also bored with the adult conversation...or perhaps just feeling a little out numbered in the estrogen filled house, takes Ethan's blanket and makes a "fort" with a chair and Nana's treadmill. Kerry then proceeds to scour the house for rubberbands. Do any of you see where this might be going? Foolishly (because she's not married to my husband and doesn't see what is coming next) my sister gives him some hair rubberbands. (At this point I must also interject an ongoing argument with my sister and husband. He calls them "hair do-dahs", and she calls them "hair bobs"...) Then, yes you see it coming, Kerry proceeds to teach Ethan how to shoot rubberbands across the room. (Knowing what was coming, I had already moved the breakables out of the line of fire) Ethan, being a very quick study, is having a blast! Kerry launches a rubberband clear into the dining room (where the above mentioned estrogen is chatting it up). Ethan, being in fear of his life due to early understanding of what estrogen can do to a little boy that is being naughty, immediately runs into the dining room to declare to his mother "Mommy! I just want you to know that I didn't do that! It was that other guy!". He, of course, now knows that the "other guy" is his Uncle Kerry....he also seemed to catch on quickly that when an older seemingly "wiser" man puts you up to something, that you don't seem to catch the flack of the estrogen laden women in the house! :D He also later learned that his Uncle Kerry can "juggle lizards" and "take the stinger out of a bee"! I'm not sure which little boy had the most fun on our visit...Uncle Kerry or Ethan!

New Mexico has warm weather!

Well, I had only two weeks off before going back to school for the semester. (Sad days) BUT, I got to spend some of that time back "home" in New Mexico! (Happy days) We did indeed surprise Nana for her birthday. She actually got a little upset..."I didn't wash my hair!", "I haven't gone to the market!", "I need to get the lawn fertilized" (Okay, that last one almost got me. I mean, who really wants to visit an 85 year old woman when she hasn't even bothered to fertilize her yard?!) I told her that I was there to collect on the potato salad that she'd promised me. I also told her that I would accept banana pudding as a second choice (oh, who am I kidding? I could eat that banana pudding for breakfast lunch and dinner!...oh, yeah...I DID!!) The great thing is that I wasn't even on the ground in New Mexico for an hour before I had a green chili cheeseburger from Lotaburger in my hot little hand...it's just a little piece of heaven right here on earth! (VERY happy days) When we left Idaho, I snapped some pics of the snow that had fallen on the mountains just the night before! I was so happy to go to New Mexico and not even use the very light jacket that I packed!

The second day home, we went to the store to get sandwich fixings for the lunch party that Nana still had no idea about. My gutless sister (who in all fairness had gotten quite the butt chewing for not spilling the beans to Nana) met us there, so she wouldn't have to face the ol' lady alone.
We arrived for lunch (which included some freshly prepared potato salad and banana pudding, BTW) and shortly after the Arizona and Colorado branches of the family showed up. Talk about ticked! THAT threw her over the edge! Later, we all went to Old Town Albuquerque for some authentic mexican food complete with sopapillas! She wasn't too happy about the cake that we'd smuggled in, but found her sense of humor when my "kind" sister took a picture of her toenails, the lights in the restaraunt, my cousins shoes, etc.....that's what I get for pushing my camera at her and asking her to go out and take some pics of the family while I finished eating all of the sopapillas that could be found on, or even just near, our table! (In spite of the camera happenings...VERY happy day indeed!)

We also went to church in Edgewood with all of our friends, saw a nephew play baseball, ate dinner in Los Lunas with some old friends, and shopped a little while we were there!

Tomorrow..... all about "that other guy"!

FINALS are FINALly OVER!!!

Not that I'm very excited, BUT finals are OVER!!! Oh, happy day! Now to see if I succeeded in getting a 4.0 this semester. I know that I previously may have stated that a 3.8 would be fine, but now that I have 2 of my final grades back, and they are both 'A's, and I'm sure that 1 maybe 2 of the next grades will also be 'A's, I'm only waiting on the edge of my seat for one grade! Just seems that if the others are all 'A's, that the last one should be also! It will be a matched set!

As a creepy side note, I drove home from school in the snow. Okay, it was the fluffy kind that only makes the ground wet when it lands. Definitely not the snowman kind. But the point remains that it is the LAST DAY OF APRIL! I mean, really. Spring was supposed to spring in March! It's a month late. I'm not happy about that.

On a happy note, I'm going "home" to New Mexico (where, by the way, it has not recently been snowing....)!!!! I'm excited to eat green chili! I'm really excited to go to a place that doesn't look at you strangely when you ask for green chili on your hamburger! We used to order pepperoni pizza with green chili. Try THAT in Idaho. Although, I must say that I've never had a better potato than those that I eat in Idaho! MMMMMMM good! SHHHHHHH....don't tell anyone, but we are going to surprise my Nana for her 85th birthday. She thinks that her birthday celebration was last weekend, but she doesn't know that it was just a red herring.... Hope we don't surprise her so much that we have a funeral to go to....HAHAHA! It will be fantastic! :D

Snow, snow, go away! Don't come again another day!

I just want the world to know that I really hate snow! I love snow in the movies, and I have even been known to be excited about the first snowfall of the season....but really, this is becoming ridiculous. I went to the grocery store last night. No big deal. I came out, and had to sweep a couple of inches of that horrid, white, cold, disgusting snow off of the car before I could drive home. I wasn't the powder kind that you can just turn the wipers on and get rid of. No. It was the sleety, icy kind that sticks to everything. Cold. Bitter cold. I am going "home" in just a couple of short weeks! I plan to pack nothing but warm weather clothing! I REFUSE to wear a coat! (And, just as a side note, I plan to eat myself into a coma....eating nothing but green chili!!! Yay!)
I shall have to reflect upon this post come July when I am whining because we don't have air conditioning. Of course, who really needs air conditioning when you only have summer for one or two weeks of the year? There are only two seasons in Idaho: Winter, and Road Construction...

"Worry Wart Woman" is my name

I have had a stressful spring. I've stressed over whether or not I would actually make it into the nursing program at school. I've stressed over what I would do with my children while I am in school if I DO make it into the program, as it begins in the summer. I've worried about what I would do with myself if I DIDN'T make it into the program. I've worried about the price of gas, the price of wheat, and whether or not we will have another car break down. I've worried about not having a 4.0 (I know, I know, I'm an over achiever, and I need to get over it....). I've worried that spring will never come, and I will never see my lawn again! I've worried that spring will come, and our lawn mowers aren't working to cut the grass. I've worried that my daughter will graduate from college and not know what to do with her life. I've worried that she will graduate and WILL know what to do with her life. I've wondered what will become of my sweet little boy who wants to join the Army National Guard this summer. I've worried what will become of my sweet little boys who only want to play video games. I've worried about what another daughter will do if she doesn't get financial aid, and what she will do if she can't find the right job this summer. I guess it all boils down to one thing: I'm a worrier!
But, life has gotten a little bit sweeter! Not easier, but sweeter, nonetheless. I made it into the nursing program! I have worried about my little boys, but (thank you President Bush) when we get our "stimulus package" later on I will be giving that to my daughter that needs a summer job. She will be the mommy for the summer. I get to have my boys watched by someone that I trust (and who, frankly, will probably do a better job at being a mom than I do! ;) REALLY, she is that great with those boys!), and she gets some of the money that she needs for school! I can do nothing about the price of gas, and nothing about the cost of wheat. BUT, we bought some food storage, and that lets us rest a little easier about the wheat. We just had another car break down, and it is some serious money to fix. BUT, we have a car to drive. We finally see the grass, but it's not growing enough to mow (maybe it is, but, for now, I refuse to acknowledge it! :D haha). So far, I have a 4.0. But, I've decided that there are more important things in life than an 'A' (I know....we'll see if I'm singing the same tune when I get a 3.8....)
All in all, life is great! My kids are healthy, my husband is healthy and has a good job. We have a nice home that we can afford. And.... I'M GOING TO COLLEGE!!!!!!!

Back to School

I never really understood the "blues" that my children went through as they ventured back to school the first day after a break. I mean, for crying out loud, they had a whole week off! What's the big stinkin' deal? Now, I find that I must repent for my not very sympathetic attitude. I really, really, I mean really, didn't want to come back to school yesterday. And, today, I find that my attitude is not any better. I found myself doing something else that my children do....for anyone who cares to know, I have 6 weeks of school left this semester. Not that I'm really counting, mind you....
Yesterday was the first St.Patrick's day in my memory that I haven't had corned beef and cabbage. I feel like I'm mourning a lost friend. But, I did make sure that my family had green jello, green applesauce (not such a great idea afterall), and green kool-aid to go with their hamburger patties (the hamburger patties that they actually didn't eat, because Kerry decided to buy burgers on his way home....seems he didn't want to deal with the cooking...hmmmm. Is he coming over to the dark side with me? I don't like to deal with the mess either! haha But, I digress....) We then went to my mom-in-law's for my sis-in-law's birthday party. She loves red velvet cake, and I was very happy that this year Mom didn't put in green food coloring instead of red....do the words "bread mold" mean anything to you?
It was her 40th birthday. On girls' night out, my wonderful daughter's wonderful mother-in-law helped us to buy items that had 40 on the label. It was great fun! (a word seek book....volume 40; 40 pencils; 40 sheets of tissue paper; 40 neon colored bandaids.....many more items, but my personal favorite was the candy bar with 40% less fat!) We also bought her a $40 gift certificate to her favorite bookstore. She got the message....I would say that the message was that she's old....but since I'm much older, I'll refrain! ;)
Now, I look forward to my children coming home from college this weekend! Easter eggs await!!!

"Spring" Break

This week I find myself on spring break. Usually a great thing.....However, (life is always full of howevers....) this week hasn't been as much fun as I anticipated! First, I came down with a brief, but not very fun fever. Fortunately it only lasted for a couple of days, and I wasn't miserable. Just felt a little "blah". Now, I look outside on this wonderful spring day, and see nothing but white fluffy snow. This does nothing for my happiness quotient. I had wonderful plans to write two research papers and two articles for school. That way, I'm ahead of the game. It looks now like I will only do the one research paper that is actually due on Monday. The really big bummer is that I am the only one on break. All of my kids are out in two weeks for one week. When I say all....I do mean ALL. My teacher daughter, my soon to graduate from college daughter, my missing her family but loving college life daughter, and all three of my boys! It will be so hard to go to school when I know that they are all home having a wonderful time without me.
On a good note, my soon to graduate from college daughter came home last night for a quick visit. We didn't do anything, really, but it was fun to have her home (if only for a short time). I do look forward to having my babies all home for Easter. Life is just more complete when they are all right here with me! And, on Saturday, I get to go down to Pocatello for "mom's week" at ISU. That will be fun! And then, on Saturday evening, it's a long awaited girls' night out with Heather and Big J's mom, Mala! (Makes up for the fact that I have to go to the adult ward party by myself on Friday night, due to a husband who thinks keeping his job is more important than attending a party with his wife.....blah, blah, blah...)
Life really is good! In spite of the snow, and being solo for spring break! :D

Let's hear it for Lazy Days!!!

Yesterday, my Heather and I both found ourselves not having to go to school. It's my usual day off, and she had the day off because the high school boys basketball team went to state (when you teach in a small town, weird things become important?). We were quite cheap. We started by going to McDonald's where we got free McSkillet breakfast burritos for buying a drink (I spent the whopping $1.74 for a large drink). We ate it while sitting in McDonald's (something that I never take the time for, because, frankly, the drive-thru and home seems so much faster when you have boys in the backseat). Then, we talked about going to a matinee, but going to Hollywood for free rentals sounded so much more appealing. I will be honest here. I didn't want to put on "real" clothes, and she didn't want to change out of her pj's. This option also didn't require any make-up or hair curling! So, we rented a couple of chick flicks, which we watched while eating popcorn (lunch?). After the first movie was over (why not have a double feature? They used to do them in the movie theaters....), we headed out to the mall. There, we found Payless Shoes (it was buy one get one half off...), but didn't find any shoes that we couldn't live without. Either Payless is doing a poor job of enticing women to part with their money, or we have become so cheap that shoes are not looking as great to us. But, not to go home empty handed, we went to Barnes and Noble, where we both had gift cards. I bought a chick flick book (is there such an adjective?), and a slice of Godiva chocolate Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake (yes, I gained weight just asking for it!). Heahter bought a slice of Godiva chocolate cake. MMMMMMMM! Then, as it was my day for carpool, we picked up kids at school (injesting each bite of our cakes on the way, so as to not have to share so much as a morsel with children who just wouldn't appreciate the lovliness of rich chocolate!)and then headed home to watch yet another chick flick. When Kerry got home, we went out for another movie (hey, a girl has to take the fun where she can!) and dinner. We watched "I am Legend" with Will Smith. Can't say that I'm wanting to just rush out and buy that one.... I could have had a little more fun, if only the hubby would've agreed to move seats. My son-in-law was on a boys night out with his friend. They were in the same theater, but too far away for safe popcorn launching.... It was a great day, all in all! Everyone needs a lazy day now and then! It would solve so much of the world's problems! :D

Death and taxes.....

Today I find myself doing taxes. Not because I am on top of things, because I never am. Not because I want to do my civic duty and pay taxes, because I don't like taxes and we always get a refund anyway. Not even because I am thrilled about the prospect of getting money (which, I suppose, I am....but that isn't my reason for doing them). No. I'm doing the taxes because if I don't my kids in college will receive no financial aid, and I will have to pay it, and we won't be able to pay the mortgage, and we will end up living in a box by the river....or sleeping in our van... Okay, I suppose that I'm being a little melodramatic here. But, I must say that each year, regardless of gettin money back, I look more forward to death than taxes....
On to a happier note! I believe that I aced my math test today, although, I think I may have missed one, so not the 100% that I was looking forward to. But, an A is an A, no matter how big or small!
Another happy note is that I have no school tomorrow, and the sweet baby that I am tending on Fridays for a couple of months will be out of town! That means spending the day in my pajamas with my daughter, Heather! (Maybe I will buy some new jammies with my refund.....)

Technologically impaired

I hate that I was born in a time where we had black and white TVs with "rabbit ear" antennas. There was no such thing as VCRs, DVDs, cell phones, microwaves, home computers, remote control anything, MP3 players, etc., etc., etc.,.... I bought myself an MP3 player for Christmas. The thinking was that I wouldn't have to carry around a portable CD player (something else that wasn't invented when I was a child...). However, (yes I realize that it is already the end of February, and that Christmas was 2 months ago...) putting the music that I want onto the MP3 player sounds so much easier than it is. First, you have to "rip" it onto the computer (and if you aren't connected to the internet, that creates another set of problems...). THEN you can put them on the MP3 player. Wait! You have to put them in MP3 player form? What's that?! I feell so very stupid when I have to have my teenagers show me how to do something that to them is second nature. I wonder if my parents ever felt old when we began using calculators that fit in our hands? I remember my dad's first calculator was upwards of $500, and it weighed a good two or three pounds. We were not allowed to use it. Now, you get one free when you open a checking account, and it's the same size as your favorite credit card! I shall now finish "ripping" my record, oops, I mean CD collection onto the computer in MP3 format. Then, I will ask my child to put it onto the MP3 player..... Don't even get me started on the satellite dish....

"Sick Days"

Why do sick days always end up coming on days off? It's really not fair. My little (I suppose that I can't call him little anymore, since he's over 6 feet tall, and 17 years old now....) boy is sick today. He came down with a fever last night (alas, not until he had to go to church....the illness truly struck after he came home...another injustice?), and has been in bed for the last 13 hours. He's not even enjoying his sleep. And, true to my word, I made them do all of the chores they had to do on Saturday, so that they could enjoy today! Now, he's stuck enjoying it in bed....SICK. If today was a regular school day, chances are that he would have awoke this morning feeling fine.
On a good note, I don't have school today, and I only have one class tomorrow! I have my homework done, and I really don't have much studying to do for today! I think that I will enjoy my day off! :)

Saturdays are "special days"?

Saturdays are supposed to be the day that most of the free world uses to relax, and just have a great time. In this digustingly messy house, we are going to use Saturdays as a day to "muck out" of this pit we call a home! I find it interesting that in a house of 5 (or 7, or 9....depending on how many are home from college, and how many are dropping by for dinner....) that the mom is the only one that cleans anything (or, defense of some of the helpful people, the one that cleans most of the messes in this house) In discussing this situation with my "mommy" friends, I've discovered that this problem is far from unique. I must admit however, that I declared this "clean the house spotless day", and found myself being lured by my teenage son's guitar hero game.....I haven't gone beyond "easy", but I now found myself on to a level that I had to look at "advanced techniques" on the training part of the game. Not very impressive for my boys, but not so bad for an old lady that didn't get enough sleep last night! Now, on to cleaning, or we won't be able to have a "nothing but fun" day on Monday when nobody has school.....It really stinks when Mom makes a rule that she later would rather not adhere to....